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UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 

"  "II 


00031717161 


This  book  must  not 
be  taken  from  the 
Library  building. 


Form  No.  471 


r/O////    P  Gf^EEN. 
AT    SEVENTY-FIVE    YEARS    OF  AGE. 


FACT  STRANGER  THAN 
FICTION 


SEVENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  A  BUSY  LIFE 

WITH  REMINISCENCES 

OF 

MANY  GREAT  AND  GOOD  MEN  AND  WOMEN 


BY    JOHN     P.     GREEN 


Rl.WiHL    PRINTING    COMPANl 
OUfSVEI^ND,   O. 

U.S.A. 


FOREWORD 

If  gauged  by  the  hosts  of  friends  who  recognize  me, 
and  the  high  esteem  and  kindly  consideration  manifested 
for  me  by  my  fellow  citizens,  of  all  classes  and  stations 
in  life,  then  I  feel  that,  I  have  not  "strutted  and  fretted" 
ray  hour  of  life  in  vain. 

From  this  point  of  view,  I  have  written  the  following 
story  of  my  life,  for  two  principal  reasons'.  First,  be- 
cause I,  alone,  can  certify  to  the  truthfulness  of  all  the 
statements — ^to  the  minutest  details;  and  secondly,  for 
the  reason  that,  I  have  been  well  nigh  importuned,  by 
many  of  my  personal  acquaintances  to  write  it;  and  be- 
cause I  am  hoping  and  praying  that,  by  the  reading  of  it, 
a  stimulus  and  inspiration  may  be  imparted  to  ambitious 
— stmggling  youths  of  both  races — especially  the  colored 
race,  to  put  forth  renewed  efforts  for  success. 

I,  myself,  by  the  reading  of  the  auto-biographies  of 
such  colored  men  as  Frederick  Douglass  and  Booker  T. 
Washington,  have  derived  great  encouragement,  which 
has,  persistently,  sustained  me  in  my  life  efforts  along 
that  "road  so  narrow  where  one  but  goes  abreast.*' 

I  desire,  herein,  to  place  before  the  colored  youth,  of 
my  class,  another  concrete  proof  of  the  fact  that,  even  in 
the  United  States,  where  the  handicap  of  color  and  for- 
mer restrictions  are  so  much  in  evidence,  ambition,  united 
with  initiative  and  reasonable  endeavor,  will  surely  win 
success,  along  some  worthy,  honorable  line. 

In  the  preparation  of  the  type-written  copy  of  thi« 
narrative,  I  have  been  placed  under  lasting  obligations  to 
Miss  Harriet  J.  Willis — competent  and  popular  court 
stenographer,  and  attorney  and  counsellor  at  law;  who 
has,  gi-atuitously  and  beautifully,  prepared  the  same. 

JOHN  P.  GREEN. 

0 
to 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  FAMILY,  GREEN— **THE  SHORT  AND 
SIMPLE  ANNALS  OF  THE  POOR." 

Revolutionary  Times — 1793 — John  Wright  Stanlj — 
William  Gaston — General  Nathaniel  Greene — 
Governor  Richard  Dobbs  Speight — Sarah  Rice — 
John  Rice  Green — John  Patterson  Green — Ed- 
ward Stanly,  M.  C. — ^Temperance  Dnrden  Green — 
Granny  Bede  and  the  steer — ^White-colored  peo- 
ple— From  ignorance  to  learning — From  poverty 
to  affluence — Misfortunes  and  fall — Death  of 
John  R.  Green        ----_.        i-22 


CHAPTER  II 
CHILDHOOD  DAYS 

The  cottage  behind  the  "grave-yard" — Sad  social  ^i- 
yironment  —  Hunger  and  cold  —  Superstitions 
''ghosts"  defied — ^The  red  rooster — ^A  big-hearted 
white  woman — Little  Auntie  and  Aunt  Hannah — 
Sawing  and  splitting  cords  of  wood  to  buy  skates 
— Uncle  Balaam  Jones  and  the  grind-stone — ^Tor- 

»  turing  a  slave  man — ^The  Bragg  boys  persecute 
the  writer — Opening  Court — Old  common-law 
punishments — Branding-iron  and  gibbett — ^The 
scaffold-rope  and  stocks — Hounded  by  both  white 
and  black — At  bay — ^What  constitutes  a  bad  boy? 
— Celebrating  the  Fourth  of  July— Slave  man's 
visit  at  night  to  his  wife — John  Stuart  Stanley^ — 
Colored  teacher — Signs  of  Civil  War — Hegira  of 
colored  people  to  the  North — ^The  patrols — Pack- 
ing  up  23-50 

"My  native  land— good  night!" 


CHAPTJBiR  m 

BITTER-SWEET 

Crossing  the  Bar — Ossa  and  Pelion — ^The  captain's 
stentorian  voice— New  York  City — 1857 — ^The 
half-dollar— Fourth  of  July  in  New  York— 63 
years  ago — ^My  first  Sunday  School — Colored 
tyler  of  a  white  Masonic  Lodge — ^The  Erie  Rail- 
road— 1857 — Cleveland,  Ohio — First  Impressions 
^— Oberlin,  Ohio— 1857— *  Treat  'em  rough!"— 
Nostalgia  and  seeing  mother — A  second  trip — 
Supping  sorrow — ^Third  attempt — ^The  pursuit — 
Capture — Stripped  and  flogged  in  the  woods — My 
vow  to  be  free — Daring  death  twice  in  ten  min- 
utes—Free!     -------      52-7S 

CHAPTER  IV 
MAYFLOWER  COMMON  AND  SUNDAY   SCHOOLS 

Severe  discipline — Good  order  maintained — ^My 
Southern  "patois" — Supt.  Andrew  Freeze — Old 
Central  High — Playing  truant — Newburgh  chair 
factory — Eight  miles  from  Cleveland — The  stage 
coach— First  sight  of  John  D.  Rockefeller,  1858 
—Other  worthy  Cleveland  men— Experience  with 
the  Shakers,  on  Shaker  Heights — ^Their  customs 
«— Dances — Songs — A  *'tramp"  in  1860— Mr. 
James  M.  Hoyt  and  our  home — Asking  work  at 
Post  Office  door — Rev.  Mr.  Bittinger — A  steady 
job  at  $4.00  per  month — Hardest  work  ever — 
Walking  ten  miles  to  witness  minstrel  show — 
First  acquaintance  with  great  Hanna  family — 
Troy  Hill— Pittsburgh— Kind  friends  give  en- 
couragement and  inspire  in  writer  desire  for 
learning  ___-----      74-92 

CHAPTER  V. 
HOME  AGAIN 

Currying  street-car  horses,  1862 — Apprenticed  to  a 
tailor— The  Angler  House — ^The  Civil  War — Re- 
turn of  dead,  wounded  and  sarved  from  Confed- 

riii 


erate  prison  pens — Wheeler  and  Russell's  Dining 
Room — Studying  "between  meals" — Lincoln's  re- 
mains, lying  in  state — Rev.  John  R.  Warren — 
Joseph  H.  Ricks — Captain  Joe  Richards  and  the 
cocktail — J.  H.  DeWitt  &  Co. — His  prophecy  ful- 
filled— Back  to  Pittsburgh — Dr.  John  Wesley 
Sykes — Sleeping  car  porter  and  Big  *'4"  store- 
keeper— Mr.  Truman  P.  Handy — Mayflower  Sun- 
day school — Rev.  James  Eells  and  Dan  P.  Eells — 
My  volume  of  essays — Rev.  B.  T.  Tanner — Phila- 
delphia— Rev.  Dr.  Hawes — Mr.  Theodore  Bliss 
—Entering  the  old  Central  High  School,  1866— 
Dr.  Theodore  Sterling  and  others — Sleeping  in 
attic— Studying  Greek  at  3  A.  M.  by  tallow  "dip" 
— Waiting  on  table  and  parties      -        -        -    93-115 

CHAPTER  VI 

SOJOURNING  IN  DIXIE  LAND 

''After  graduation  what?" — Humorous  incident  in 
Akron,  1867 — Andrew  J.  Rickoff  and  Judge  Jesse 
P.  Bishop — ^The  Union  Law  College — General 
John  Crowell — W.  G.  McFarland — Getting  mar- 
ried— Going  to  South  Carolina — Enroute — Pro- 
fessors Robert  and  Cicero  Harris — Fayetteville, 
N.  C. — William  R.  Brewington — Bennettsville,  S, 
C. — In  dire  straits — "Hitting  the  trail" — Do  or 
lie — ^John  G.  Grant — A  "politician" — Wilmington, 
N.  C. — Adrian  &  Vollers — Ed.  Roper — My  groc- 
ery— ^The  hanging — Admitted  to  the  S.  C.  Bar, 
Sept.  20,  1870 — Remarkable  cases — Political  ex- 
periences— Addressed  state  convention,  1872,  in 
Hall  of  Representatives,  Columbia,  S.  C. — Elected 
alternate  to  Philadelphia  National  Convention, 
1872 — Jeopardie  in  Southern  politics        -        116-146 

CHAPTER  VII 
BACK  TO  CLEVELAND. 

IBack  to  Cleveland — In  the  grip  of  winter — Bread 
without  butter — Trying  to  borrow  $5.00 — J.  R. 
Hawkins — ^My  first  Cleveland  client — Nominated 


and  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  three  times,  9 
years — Better  times — Elected  to  the  General  As- 
sembly, 1877 — "Counted  out" — Defending  many 
alleged  murderers — Governor  "Bill"  (Fog  Horn) 
Allen — Frank  G.  Carpenter  and  other  disting- 
uished editors — ^W.  S.  Kerruish  and  Frederick 
Douglass — Fighting  color  handicap — George  P. 
Phibbs— De  Scott   Evans  -        -        -        147-170 


CHAPTER  Vin 
MAKING  AND   PRACTICING   LAW 

In  the  Ohio  General  Assembly — Langston's  treatment 
prior  thereto — In  the  chair — Selected  by  the 
speaker  to  explain  causes  of  Cleveland's  growth 
— Not  invited  to  share  in  the  "Giteau"  junket — 
The  Weitzel  Bill  and  Tom  L.  Johnson— Also, 
Newton  D.  Baker— The  "Black  Laws"— Senator 
George  H.  Ely — The  writer  would  not  yield  to  4 
street  railway  presidents — Defeated  of  re-elec- 
tion by  them — Professional  life  for  7  more  years 
— Resurrected  by  popular-vote  plan — Crjdng  and 
praying  in  arguments  in  court — Opinions — My 
seven  years*  case  wone       -        -        -        -      171-185 


CHAPTER  JX 

SECOND  TERM  IN  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY— 
"DADDY  OF  LAiJOR  DAY." 

Second  term  in  General  Assembly — Defeat  of  McDer- 
mot  Bill  to  have  separate  schools — Fight  for  Wil- 
berforce  University — Sixteen  thousand  dollars 
won  for  her — Degree  of  LL.D.  conferred  on  me 
for  successful  fight — ^Wrcte  and  fathered  Ohio 
Labor  Day  law — Feted  three  times  by  Amalga- 
mated organizations  of  Labor  in  Cincinnati,  and 
proclaimed  "Daddy  of  the  Day" — The  day  after- 
wards made  national  holiday,  by  Congress — Re- 
fused the  dining-room  at  Gibson  house — Enter- 
tained at  the  Burnett  House — Called  on  by  both 
McKinley  and  Foraker — Addresses  great  meeting 


of  railway  trainmen  at  Goodale  Park,  Columbus, 
with  Governor  Campbell  of  Ohio — ^Tums  a  "joke" 
by  the  Governor  on  himself — Secures  passage  of 
law  protecting  poor  widows        .        ^        -      186-192 

CHAPTER  X 
IN  THE  SENATE— SUNSHINE  AND  SHADOW. 

Sworn  in  as  a  Senator  of  the  25th  District  of  Ohio — 
Colored  vote  at  that  time,  in  Cleveland  small — 
Presided  over  the  Senate,  once — Def  acto  Lieuten- 
ant Governor  of  Ohio — Resurrected  and  secured 
passage  of  street-car  vestibule  law — Fought  for 
Anti-Screen  Law — 'Thereby  hangs  a  tale" — 
"Dug  up"  and  secured  passage  of  bill  to  enable 
financing  of  our  parks  and  boulevards — Cham- 
pioned House  Bill  to  allow  firemen,  in  Cleveland, 
some  time  for  recreation — ^Prevented  change  of 
the  Smith  Civil  Rights  law — Aided  in  passage  of 
Senate  Bill  No.  50 — Mr.  Spencer — Confronted 
meetin  gof  angry  citizens,  and  gained  applause 
from  them — Guest  at  banquet  of  Protective  Tariff 
League  of  Canton,  Ohio — Responded  to  toast — 
Visited  Col.  Elliott  F.  Shepherd  of  New  York,  at 
his  home — Wrote  letters  for  the  Mail  and  Ex- 
press— His  treatment  of  me — His  death      -    193-20^ 

CHAPTER  XI 
JOHN  D.  ROCKEFELLER 

Olwervations  on  the  personal  grandeur  of  Mr.  Rocke- 
feller— From  every  point  of  view — He  promoted 
those  whom  he  conquered  in  the  business 
arena — First  m.eeting — Miss  Laura  C.  Spellman 
in  our  schools — Mr.  Rockefeller  a  Sunday  School 
teacher — ^Wordy  arraignment  of  his  business 
methods,  by  a  legislator — Reply  by  this  writer — 
Invited  to  his  home,  three  times — Extraordinary 
courtesies  extended  to  me  and  family — His  gen- 
osity  to  me — He  pilots  the  carriage  containing 
Mrs.  Rockefeller  and  guests — Gives  this  writer 
carte  blanche  to  drive  in  his  grand  and  beautiful 

xi 


grounds — His  father — ^At  9  loss  to  account  for 
his  remarkable  social  condescension  and  kind- 
nesses— How  he  signed  my  petition  for  a  federal 
office,  under  I\IcKinley — Mrs.  Rockefeller's  sym- 
pathy for  and  kindnesses  to  the  poor — Always 
the  friend  of  the  "under  dog" — Letters  to  this 
writer — A  benediction  on  I\Ir.  and  Mrs.  Rocke- 
feller -------        210-222 


CHAPTER  XH 

GREAT  BRITAIN 

Some  data — On  the  ocean  wave — In  Liveii)ool — In 
London — Some  men  of  renown — Objects  of  inter- 
est— Two  letters — Rt.  Honorable  A.  F.  Winning- 
ton — Ingram — L-ord  Bishon  of  London — Freder- 
ick William  Farrar — Canon  of  Westminster  Ab- 
bey— Ex-Pre§ident  Fairchild  of  Oberlin  College 
—Rev.  John  Clifford,  D.  D.,  LLD.— Rev.  Joseph 
Parker,  D.  D. — Werner  of  St.  Martin's  Tower — 
In  the  Tower  of  London — S.  Coleridge  Taylor— 
S.  J,  Celestin  Edwards — Scotland — Switzerland — 
Senator  Roscoe  Conkling — The  native  African — 
Some  great  Scotsmen — Mrs.  F.  M.  Saleeby  and 
her  sons — Carrubber's  Close— "Drawing  Rooms" 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Pease  Nicholl — Miss  Eliza  Wig- 
ham. — John  Box  Brown — Sir  William  Simpson — 
Old  St.  Giles  Church— Edinburgh  Castle  and  the 
Grass  market — Holyrood  Palace — Calton  Hill — 
Arthur's  Seat— The  fish-wife— The  Forth  bridge 
—Kirkliston — John  Knox  Bokv/e      -        -        222-247 

CHAPTER  XIII 
DUNDEE— ABERDEEN— HUNTLEY— GLASGOW 

James  Thompson,  Esq.,  LL.  B.,  solicitor — Mrs. 
Thompson— The  Firth  of  Tay— The  City  of  Dun- 
dee— James  Thompson,  Jr. — Patriot — "Oh  dark- 
dark,  dark,  amid  the  blaze  of  noon !" — The  whole 
Thomson  family — Aberdeen — Oats  vs.  Macaroni 
— Mrs.  Isabella  Fyvie  Mayo  (Edward  Garrett) 
— Dr.  George  Ferdinands—John  Leith — Scottish 

rii 


stories — The  P.  S.  A. — "Twilight  and  evening 
star" — Mr.  Leith's  legend — Huntley — Gordon 
Castle — Bag  pipes — Miss  Annie  Bennett — Mr. 
William  Simpson — Rev.  Mr.  Templeton — Old 
"storm  king,"  Benachie — In  Glasgow — Mr.  Wil- 
liam G.  Smeal— "The  deaf  hear"— The  famous 
Cathedral,  where  Rob  Roy  concealed  himself   248-259 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
WILLIAM  McKINLEY 

McKinley  Governor — Some  of  his  generous  charac- 
teristics— Politeness,  like  George  Washington — 
At  the  Tod  House — In  the  rink — At  the  Congre- 
gational Church,  in  Washington — Dr.  J.  E. 
Rakin — Compels  Speaker*s  Committee  to  put  me 
on  the  "stump" — ^Wires  Chairman  William  Hahn 
— I  discuss  and  defend  his  protective  tariff  pol- 
icy with  M.  Testolin,  in  the  Piazza  St.  Marco, 
Venice,  also  with  the  London  Daily  News,  which 
is  cabled  to  the  U.  S. — He  orders  the  P.  M.  Gen- 
eral to  place  me  at  head  of  a  bureau — Gives  Sen- 
ator Pritchard  of  N.  C.  place  promised  to  me,  to 
save  G.  0.  P.  in  N.  C. — ^Was  assailed  in  convention 
of  colored  men — Supportel  by  me — Conference 
with  him  in  White  House,  before  it  was  opened 
to  the  public — ^Was  true  friend  of  the  colored 
people — Intei*view  with  liim,  as  to  lynching  in 
Lake  City,  S.  C. — Remarkable  illustration  of  his 
policy  as  to  lynching — "You  shant  be  shocked!" 
Roosevelt — Geo.  B.  Cortelyou — "Bully  for  you!" 
Bully  for  you!" — Arch  Pishop  Ireland — Booker 
T.  Washington — Hon.  M.  A.  Hanna — Samuel 
Coleridge  Taylor — Dr.  George  H.  Richardson — 
Some  prominent  colored  citizens  of  Washington, 
D.  C. — Confirmed  with  wife  anl  daughter  in  St. 
Luke's  P.  E.  Church— On  the  Vestry      -        260-27^ 

CHAPTER  X\^ 
CLEVELAND— EUROPE 
Old  friends  at  home — At  my  law  practice — The  Wade 
Leigh  case— Horace  Neff ,  Esq. — Case  of  Dr.  John 

xiii 


L.  Hoyer A  mooted  Xe^aX  question — Dr.  Har- 
ris R.  Cooley — Honorable  Newton  D.  Baker — 
Opinion  of  the  Law  Depaitment  of  Cleveland — 
My  dissatisfaction — ^My  Writ  of  Mandamus  gains 
my  point,  before  Judge  Charles  J.  Estep — Elected 
by  colored  people  of  Cleveland,  in  mass  meeting 
assembled,  to  go  to  Congress — My  service  sue- 
cessful — Con^essman  (Judge)  Burnett  of  Ala- 
bama— Isaac  Watt — Off  acrain,  for  Europe — ^The 
Azores— The  Madeiras — The  Rock  of  Gibraltar— 
The  Gulf  of  Lyons— Genoa— The  U.  S.  Men  of 
War— The  Campo  Santo— Naples  and  "Nick"— 
Vesuvius  and  Pompeii — "Mounting"  Vesuvius — 
"Nica  Italian  lady" — *Tn  tlie  jaws  of  death — Into 
the  mouth  of  hell!" — Do\vn  again — ^The  lovely 
Bay  of  Naples — ^The  remains  of  Pompeii — En- 
roiite    for    Rome       -----        279-295 


CHAPTER  XVI 

ROIVLE— FLORENCE— VENICE— VIENNA 

The  Campagna  di  Roma — Romulus  and  Remus — The 
Corso — The  Coliseum. — Madam  de  Stael — ^The  Ap- 
pian  Way — The  Via  Sacra — The  Roman  Forum — 
The  Catacombs — The  Pantheon — Trajan's  Col- 
umn— St.  Peter^s  Church — Church  of  Saint  John 
Lateran — Mount  Pincio — Meeting  the  Pope — 
Bishop  John  P.  Farrelly — Rev.  Fr.  William  Mc- 
Mahon — ^l^Ionseignor  Bisletti — Scala  Pia  and 
Cortile  S.  Damasco — ^The  Swiss  guards — Gorge- 
ous tapestries— The  reception — Pope  Pius  X — 
Mother  Bolden — Rev.  Fr.  MaMoy — In  beautiful 
Florence — A  narrow  escape — The  river  Arno — 
Picture  (art)  galleries — Bennett,  Jr.,  of  the 
New  York  Herald — In  Venice — The  gondoliers — 
The  Grand  Canal — Palaces  bordering  on  the  same 
— Piazza  Saint  Marco — Doges  Palace — Wonder- 
ful paintings — Bridge  of  Sighs — The  Rialto — St. 
Marcs  Cathedral — Campanile  tower — Vienna  "the 
beautiful" — Recognized,  in  a  crowd — Chas.  F. 
Brush's  opinion  of  her  beauty — Gothic  architec- 
ture and  wonderful  art  galleries — ^The  beautiful 

xiv 


blue  Danube — Grand  Duke  Maximilian  and  oar 
Monroe  Doctrine — A  few  of  numerous  canvases, 
and  groups  of  stauary       ►       -       -       •       29G-B14 


CHAPTER  XVn 

THE  TYROI^PARIS— IRELAND 

The  Alps  and  Appenines — Lon.?  tunnels — ^Removing 
Mountains  —  About  "cow-catchers"  —  Beautiful 
Switzerland — The  writer  grows  poetic  (?) — Zu- 
rich and  her  lake — Paris — The  Latin  Quarter — 
Trilbyland — Dance  hall  and  brasseries — Grisettes 
et  al — Notre  Dame  and  the  Hotel  Dieu — ^The 
Morgue — No  "trickle,  trickle,  trickle,"  now — 
Bells  and  gargoyles  of  Notre  Dame — Notable  ob- 
jects of  interest — Ireland — The  "Emerald  Isle" — 
Some  of  her  great  men — -Blarney  and  her  Castle 
— ^The  Lakes  of  Killarney — ^Tipperary — Leaving 
for   the    U.    S, — ^Dublin — Some    innocent    Irish 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

HOME  AGAIN 

A  confession — Politics  on  the  ocean — Kier  Hardie, 
M.  P.,  and  the  writer — \\Ti.Ht  Judge  Burke  said — 
Mr.  Theodore  Bliss— The  Rt.  Reverend  W.  A. 
Leonard,  Bishop  of  Ohio — Rev.  Fr.  Southern — 
Poetry — "An  Evening  Prayer" — Letters  to  me, 
from  distinguished  men — J.  A.  Garfield — Hon. 
John  Sherman — Hon.  Myron  T.  Herrick — Booker 
T.  Washington,  LL.  D. — Daniel  Murray,  Esq. — 
Congressional  Library — Chas.  F.  Thwing,  LL.  D. 
— Mayor  Robert  Blee,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio — 
Judge  Thomas  M.  Kennedy — Frederick  Douglass, 
John  Clifford,  D.  D.  LL.  D.,  of  London,  England 
and  Senator  Warren  G.  Harding— In  "Tom" 
Johnson's  tent — The  patriotic  Perkins  family — 
Edwin  R.,  Joseph,  Henry  B.,  Jacob  B.,  Captain 
Ralph  and  Old  Simon  Perkms — Som.e  family 
reminiscences  of  a  domestic  nature     -        -    S3,^U858 

XV 


CHAPTER  I. 

ORIGIN  OF  THE  FAMILY  GREEN— "THE  SHORT  AND 
SIMPLE  ANNALS  OF  THE  POOR." 

John  P.  Green,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  bom 
in  the  old  town  of  Newberne,  North  Carohna,  on  the  sec- 
ond day  of  April,  1845.  His  parents  were  John  R.  Green 
and  Temperance  Green,  both  of  whom  were  free  colored 
people  of  mixed  blood,  and  highly  respected  by  the  people 
of  both  races  in  that  community. 

John  R.  Green,  the  father,  was  the  reputed  son  of 
John  Stanley  (spelled  by  him,  Stanly)  of  North  Carolina, 
who  was  the  son  of  John  Wright  Stanley,  of  the  same 
place,  and  who,  during  our  Revolutionary  War,  for  a  long 
period  of  time,  maintained  a  fleet  of  fourteen  privateers, 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  West  India  Islands,  which  preyed 
upon  British  Commerce,  quite  successfully,  until,  being 
attacked  in  its  West  Indian  harbor  of  refuge,  by  a  portion 
of  the  British  Navy,  it  was  thoroughly  destroyed,  and 
Stanley  betook  himself  to  commerce  and  merchandise,  in 
the  old  North  Carolina  town,  at  that  time,  the  capital  of 
the  state. 

This  is  the  same  John  Wright  Stanley  upon  whose 
head,  with  that  of  William  Gaston,— a  gi^eat  Revolution- 
ary patriot  of  the  same  state  and  community,— was 
placed  a  premium,  by  the  British    military    authorities, 


during  that  war,  and  who,  in  the  darkest  days  of  the 
War  of  Independence,  loaned  General  Nathaniel  Greene 
the  sum  of  forty  thousand  pounds,  w^hich*  I  may  say, 
v/as  never  repaid  to  him,  and  when  we  consider  the 
scarcity  of  money  at  that  time,  and  that  forty  thousand 
pounds  was  as  valuable  then,  as  two  hundred  thousand 
pounds  is  now,  we  can  form  a  correct  estimate  of  the  pa- 
triotism of  that  "Son  of  the  Revolution." 

It  may  interest  the  reader,  in  passing,  to  know  that, 
Gaston  was  murdered,  by  British  spies,  for  the  bounty 
v/hich  was  offered  for  his  head:  but  Stanley  lived  to  see 
the  end  of  the  war  and  enjoy  the  blessings  of  Liberty,  for 
many  years,  under  our  glorious  Stars  and  Stripes. 

John  Stanley,  my  reputed  grand-father,  was  widely 
noted  for  his  legal  lore  and  successful  practice  at  the  Bar 
of  North  Carolina.  It  was  said  of  him  that,  he  "never  lost 
2.  case,"  but,  as  to  the  truthfulness  of  this  statement,  I 
am  somewhat  incredulous;  unless  it  be  a  fact  that,  he 
had  very  few  cases,  or  that,  he  was  so  uniformly  success- 
ful in  practice  that,  it  became  a  proverb,  that,  he  lost  no 
cases. 

That  he  w^as  a  great  orator,  politician  and  states- 
man, was  well  known, — he  was,  for  seven  consecutive 
se:>sions  of  the  North  Carolina  House  of  Representatives, 
Speaker  of  the  House,  was  in  Congress  once,  and  fol- 
lowed and  sustained  that  great  party  of  which  Henry 
Clay  was  the  famous  leader,  known  as  the  Whig  party, 
and  stood  for  '* America  for  Americans,"  and  the  protec- 
tion of  American  industries. 

This  John  Stanley,  in  the  early  part  of  the  last  cen- 
tury became  involved  in  a  quarrel  with  Governor  Richard 
Dobbs  Speight,  of  North  Carolina,  one  of  the  original 
signers  of  our  National  Constitution,  and,  accepting  a 
challenge  sent  to  him  by  Governor  Speight,  they  fought 
a  duel,  in  which  the  Governor  was  killed.  This  was  a  so- 
cial and  political  calamity  in  the  "Old  North  State,"  for  a 

2 


long  time  deplored,  and  did  much  to  bring  into  hatred, 
scorn  and  contempt,  a  system  of  so-called  "honor,"  which 
was  finally  outlawed,  under  a  heavy  penalty. 

Herein,  peculiarly  enough,  lies  the  explanation  of  this 
writer's  name  being  John  Green,  rather  than  John 
Stanley. 

My  father's  mother,  Sarah  Rice,  a  woman  of  African 
descent,  had,  for  years,  been  a  "good  and  faithful  maid 
servant"  in  the  home  of  the  unfortunate  Governor 
Speight,  and  had  exercised  over  the  little  girls  and  maid- 
ens of  that  august  southern  family  almost  maternal  care. 
A  condition  of  affairs  which,  I  suspect,  few  persons,  in 
the  North,  East  and  West,  can  adequately  conceive  of, 
unless  they  lived  in  the  South,  during  the  slavery  era, 
and  became  familiar  with  it,  so  close  was  the  association 
between  the  Negro  and  mulatto  nurses  and  their  little 
wards,  that,  even  down  to  the  present  day,  we  often  hear 
the  scions  of  old  southern  families  and  some  of  the  elderly 
ladies,  from  the  same  section,  refer  to  their  "Old  Black 
Mammies,"  with  accents  of  love  and  affection.  Such  was 
the  love  and  affection  for  Sarah  Rice,  on  the  part  of  the 
Speight  family,  that,  they  "set  her  free,"  manumitted — 
emancipated  her, — giving  her,  at  the  same  time,  the  sum 
of  two  hundred  dollars,  as  required  by  the  law  of  the 
State,  at  that  time. 

Previous  to  this  important  event  in  the  life  of  this 
favored  nurse,  she  had  been  delivered  of  a  wee  boy  baby, 
whom  she  had  named  for  herself  only, — Johnnie  Rice, 
not  daring  to  disclose  his  true  paternity ;  but,  subsequent- 
ly, having  attained  her  freedom,  she  called  him  Johnnie 
Green,  for  a  little  boy  whom  she  had  nursed ;  for,  Johnnie, 
having  been  born  when  his  mother  was  still  in  the  bonds 
of  slavery,  followed  his  mother's  slave  condition ;  and,  not 
having  been  manumitted  with  her,  he  was  still  the  slave 
of  the  Speight  estate ;  and  to  let  it  be  known  that  he  was 
the  "natural"  son  of  John  Stanley,  the  fatal  ball  from 


whose  pistol  had  killed  the  Governor,  would,  in  all  proba- 
bility, have  sealed  his  fate,  adversely. 

So,  Johnnie  Green  became,  in  later  days,  John  R. 
(Rice)  Green;  and  this  writer,  his  son,  has  flaunted  the 
green  flag,  as  John  P.  (Patterson)  Green,  ever  since. 
Sometimes,  really,  "fact  is  stranger  than  fiction." 

Having  stated  it  as  matter  of  fact  that,  my  father, 
John  R.  Green,  was  the  reputed  son  of  John  Stanley,  a 
"son  of  the  Revolution,"  the  skeptical  may  demand  the 
proof  of  this  fact ;  if  so,  I  submit  the  following  data : 

a — Sarah  Rice,  John  R.  Green's  mother,  declared 
that  Stanley  was  his  father; 

b — John  Stanley,  on  his  "dying"  bed,  sent  for  my 
father  and  to  him  in  person,  acknowledged  his 
paternity,  giving  him  at  the  same  time,  a  steel 
engraved  likeness  of  himself, — which  we  still 
have,  in  our  family ; 

c — My  father,  it  was  generally  conceded,  bore  a 
more  striking  resemblance  to  Stanley,  than 
any  other  of  his  sons, — except  that,  he  was  a 
shade  darker. 

d — It  was  common  rumor,  in  that  community, 
that,  Stanley  was  his  lather. 

To  the  best  of  my  knowledge,  the  most  illustrious  son 
of  my  grandfather  John  Stanley,  was  the  Honorable  Ed- 
ward Stanley,  M.  C.,  who  was  leader  of  the  Whig  party, 
in  Congress,  in  the  "Forties." 

This  gentleman  and  scholar  was,  later  on,  the  first 
nominee  of  the  Republican  party  for  governor  of  Califor- 
nia; and  afterwards,  during  the  reconstruction  period, 
subsequent  to  our  Civil  War,  was  appointed  by  President 
Andrew  Johnson  "provisional  governor"  of  North 
Carolina. 

I  have  gone  into  this  matter  somewhat  minutely,  be- 
cause I  am  proud  of  the  fact  that  I  can  trace  my  descent 
from  a  family  so  distinguished,  in  both  "camp  and  state ;" 
and,  also,  because  it  furnishes  to  the  student  of  society 
and  social  standards,  in  these  United  States,  a  concrete 


example  of  how  ''fearfully  and  wonderfully"  a  large  per- 
centage of  the  colored  people  here  are  made. 

I  shall  end  any  further  consideration  of  the  Stanley 
family,  by  submitting  the  following  epitaph,  from  the  pen 
of  the  late  William  Gaston,  of  North  Carolina,  who  was 
the  son  of  that  William  Gaston,  the  friend  and  associate 
of  John  Wright  Stanley,  who  died  a  martyr  in  the  cause 
of  American  liberty.  This  William  Gaston,  who  wrote 
the  epitaph,  was  noted  in  his  day, — and  down  to  the  pres- 
ent, as  having  been  one  of  nature's  noblemen  and  the 
greatset  Chief  Justice  and  jurist  his  state  ever  produced. 
He  was,  from  the  first,  John  Stanley's  close  personal 
friend  (both  at  the  Bar  and  in  the  political  arena),  and 
well  knew  whereof  he  spoke. 

The  following  is  the  epitaph:  "John  Stanley,  eldest 
son  of  John  Wright-Stanley  and  Ann,  his  wife,  bom 
1774,  died  August  2d,  1833.  Few  persons  in  any  com- 
munity have  occupied  a  more  prominent  station;  few 
have  exercised  a  more  powerful  influence  than  this  dis- 
tinguished individual  for  many  years  held  and  exercised 
in  our  town  and  throughout  our  state.  Long  in  the  af- 
fectionate and  grateful  remembrance,  of  all,  will  live  his 
genius,  his  learning,  his  courtesy,  his  eloquence,  his  vir- 
tues, his  personal  characteristics  and  his  public  serv- 
ices." GASTON. 

My  mother,  Mrs.  Temperance  Durden  Green,  was  a 
quadroon,  by  blood,  and  was  a  direct  descendent,  on 
both  her  father's  and  her  mother's  side,  from  those 
Scottish  and  Yorkshire  Englishmen  who  followed  the 
flag  and  fortunes  of  the  last  ^'Pretender," — descendant  of 
the  unfortunate  James  II,  of  England,  in  1745 ;  and  after 
having  met  disastrous  defeat,  at  Derby,  almost  at  the 
gates  of  London,  were  expatriated  and  in  large  numbers, 
found  asylum  in  North  Carolina, — notably,  in  the  coun- 
ties of  Cumberland  and  Sampson,  where,  by  thrift  and 


economy,  they  left  a  numerous  and  wealthy  progeny,  as 
may  be  seen  by  tourists  and  others  today. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  1792, 
to  be  specific,  there  resided  near  the  town  of  Clinton,  in 
Sampson  county,  North  Carolina, — about  thirty  miles 
from  the  city  (then  town)  of  Fayettsville,  in  the  same 
state,  a  family,  containing  two  beautiful  daughters,  of 
which  a  man,  Chesnut  (or  Chestnutt)  by  name,  was 
the  head.  This  pater  famihas  was  a  well-to-do  farmer; 
and,  with  his  wife  and  daughters,  was  known  and  re- 
spected, far  and  wide,  by  persons  of  his  class ;  moreover, 
since  his  daughters  were  young  and  comely,  they  were, 
frequently  favored  by  the  calls  of  young  gentlemen,  in  the 
vicinage,  who,  socially  and  financially,  deemed  themselves 
their  superiors. 

In  the  course  of  time,  the  young  ladies  became  great- 
ly enamored  of  two  of  these  young  men;  but,  since  they 
did  not  hasten  to  make  to  them  proposals  of  marriage, 
they  had  recourse  to  the  advice  and  services  of  a 
*'likely"  young  colored  man  (the  slave  of  their  father), 
who  advised  them,  in  the  premises,  with  the  result 
that,  ere  long,  each  became  the  mother  of  a  little 
colored  girl;  one  of  these  baby  girls  was  named  Obedi- 
ence, which  was  transformed  to  "Bede;''  this  one  was 
my  grand-mother,  born  in  the  same  year  as  my  father, 
1793 ;  the  child  of  the  other  girl,  sister  of  this  first  moth- 
er, was  name  Alice,  but,  invariably,  as  long  as  she  lived, 
called  "A-lice." 

A  glance  will  suggest  that  these  two  babies,  being 
the  offspring  of  one  father  by  two  sisters,  were,  at  once, 
sisters  and  cousins!!  This  condition  during  the  woman- 
hood of  these  two  colored  girls  was  doubly  complicated, 
when  each  girl  presented  to  two  white  brothers,  severally, 
a  child,  one  of  whom  was  my  mother. 

If  the  foregoing  is  proof  of  a  low  moral  status 
amongst  both  white  and  colored  persons  in  that  portion 


of  these  United  States,  at  that  time,  place  the  odium 
where  it  belongs,  not  at  door  of  the  poor  slaves;  nor 
should  we  forget  that,  as  far  back  as  the  time  of  Homer, 
when  bondsmen  were  of  every  nationality  and  race,  it 
became  a  maxim  that, 

"Jove  made  it  certain  that,  whatever  day 

Makes  man  a  slave,  takes  half  his  worth  away." 

Moreover,  it  seems  to  be  a  natural  inclination  governing 
dominant  and  oppressing  men,  to  take  unjust  advantages 
of  unprotected  females  and  others ;  as, — witness  the  Ro- 
mans, under  Romulus,  taking,  by  force,  the  Sabine  vir- 
gins and  carrying  them  into  captivity ;  and  a  more  recent 
proof  of  my  contention  may  be  found  in  the  conduct  of 
the  German  warriors  and  the  ''Reds'*  of  Russia,  who  have 
disregarded  every  sacred  right  of  conjugal,  maternal  and 
virginal  purity;  under  such  conditions  those  damnable 
doctrines,— "Might  makes  right,"  and,  "To  the  victor 
belong^  the  spoils,"  are  an  unspeakable  curse. 

It  may  interest  the  reader  to  know  that,  both  those 
colored  girls  lived  to  a  "ripe  old  age."  Bede,  my  grand- 
mother, lived  to  be  nearly  ninety-seven  years  of  ?.ge, 
and,  had  she  not  yielded  to  dread  pneumonia,  she  would, 
probably,  have  rounded  out  a  century ;  Alice  was  almost 
ninety  years  of  age,  when  she  died.  Both  left  behind 
them  a  numerous  pr^ny,  thus  proving  the  fallacy  of 
that  "scientific"  dogma — that  Mulattoes  cannot  reproduce 
their  species;  for  both  were  mulattoes, — having  white 
mothers  and  a  Negro  father. 

"Granny  Bede,"  was,  in  her  youth  and  young  woman- 
hood, a  very  strong  and  active  woman,  as  the  two  anec- 
dotes which  follow,  concerning  her,  will  abundantl.y 
prove. 

When  she  was  between  eighteen  and  twenty  years  of 
age,  she  had,  to  some  extent,  the  care  of  the  cows  and 
other  cattle  belonging  to  the  farm  on  which  she  was 
reared.     On  one  occasion,  it  became  necessary  to  put  a 

7 


rope  around  the  horns  of  a  powerful  steer,  which  was 
cortaoed  in  the  pen;  but,  this  being  at  a  time  remotely 
aciterior  to  the  herding  of  cattle  on  our  western  prairies, 
aeid  skillful  lassoing  of  the  same  by  our  doughty  ''cow- 
boys," the  men  failed  of  success,  and,  after  repeated  ef- 
forts and  failures,  appealed  to  "Bede,"  their  keeper. 
"Here's  Bede,"  they  said;  "they  know  her;  let  her  try." 

No  sooner  said  than  done;  for,  in  a  "jiffy,"  she 
vaulted  over  the  fence  of  the  pen,  and,  noose  in  hand, 
dauntlessly,  approached — confronted,  the  steer.  Lower- 
ing his  head,  the  beast  rushed  at  her!  In  this  supreme 
moment,  "Granny"  did  not  scream  and  faint,  but,  grasp- 
ing  his  horns,  she  held  his  nose  to  the  ground  until  re- 
lieved; when,  she  triumphantly  climbed  back  over  the 
fence,  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes,  the  heroine  of  the  mo- 
ment, and  even  down  to  the  present  day,  in  the  estima- 
tion of  this  writer,  and  others. 

The  other  incident  follows:  In  1872,  when  she  was  in 
the  seventy-ninth  year  of  her  age,  I  visited  her  on  a 
farm  in  the  suburbs  of  Bennettsville,  Marlborough 
County,  South  Carolina.  The  little  cabin  in  which  she 
then  resided,  was  on  the  roadside,  at  the  edge  of  a  fifty- 
acre  cottonfield,  and,  it  becoming  necessary  to  call  one 
of  the  "hands"  to  his  dinner,  she  did  not  ring  a  bell  or 
sound  a  horn,  but  with  a  stentorian  voice,  called  "Lewis! 
■0,  Lewis'!"  I  can  hear  her  to  this  day.  "Come  to  din- 
n^rl"  Needless  to  say,  Lewis  heard  the  gladsome  sum- 
!::^.on3,  &nd,  dropping  his  hoe  in  his  tracks,  ran,  as  the 
'^xvow  Hies"  to  that  refreshment  which  his  manly  labor 
^.ntitlaai  him  to,  and  which  made  a  mere  dish  of  "coraed 
lyaef-and,"  more  palatable  to  him,  than  any  nectar  brewed 
hy  a  fabled  god. 

My  dear  mother  was  a  born  Spartan,  with  not  the 
Ti'ighte^t  suspicion  of  xA^frican  blood  traceable  in  features 
or  comp'eKion,  v/ith  brov/n  eyes,  auburn  hair,  high  cheek 
Maes,  high  forehead,  straight  nose  and  thin-compressed 

8 


lips,  she  was  a  study  for  everyone  who  was  introduced  to 
her,  as  a  colored  woman;  and  yet,  she  married  a  colored 
man,  not  disowning  her  descent,  and,  to  her  death,  in 
her  eighty-first  year  of  age,  she  commingled  with  her 
colored  friends. 

Some  conception  of  my  mother's  energy  and  deter- 
mined spirit  may  be  gained  from  the  fact  that,  when  she 
was  about  twenty  years  of  age,  she  walked  from  Clinton, 
Sampson  County,  N.  C,  to  Fayettsville,  N.  C,  in  less 
than  one  day,  arriving  in  Fayettsville  in  a  foundered  con- 
dition, carrying  her  shoes  in  her  hand. 

When  she  arrived  in  Cleveland,  she  had  occasion  to 
transact  some  business  with  Mr.  Blair,  who  owned  the 
extensive  real  estate  on  the  south  side  of  Prospect  street, 
just  east  of  Thirtieth  street.  Mr.  Blair  said  to  her:  *'0f 
what  nationality  are  you?"  Mother  answered,  "I  am  a 
colored  woman."  'Well,"  replied  Mr.  Blair,  "I  wouldn't 
tell  it!" 

Mother  could  wash  and  iron,  cook,  make  any  article 
of  wearing  apparel,  for  either  man  or  woman, — from  a 
shirt  to  a  'Trince  Albert"  coat ;  in  addition  to  all  this,  she 
had  been  taught  and  thoroughly  understood  how  to 
''card"  wool  or  cotton,  spin  with  the  wheel  and  weave 
at  the  loom.  She  could  gather  the  cotton  from  the  stalk 
in  the  field,  and  with  her  own  hands,  without  assistance, 
card,  spin,  weave  and  manufacture  it  into  a  suit  of 
clothes.  She  could  even  knit  the  stockings  of  the  family. 
The  first  kite  ever  flown  by  me  was  attached  to  a  ball  of 
twine  which  my  mother  had  manufactured  for  me  out 
of  the  "raw"  cotton. 

When,  she,  a  comely  lass  of  twenty-four  summers, 
marned  my  father  in  1837,  he  took  her  to  a  beautiful 
home,  which  was  still  standing  in  1897,  when  I  last  visited 
"Old  Newbern  Town,"  and  was  in  use  as  a  parsonage  for 
the  Presbyterian  pastor  and  his  family. 
The  interior  decorations  of  this  house,  by  the  carpen- 


ter,  in  the  ''thirties"  cost  in  cash  eighteen  hundred  dol- 
lars, an  amount  which  would  purchase  then  what  five 
thousand  dollars  would  to-day. 

Having  given  a  survey  of  the  Stanley  family  and 
others  of  his  ancestors,  I  will  now  proceed  to  give  an 
outline  of  my  father's  brief  but  useful  and  remarkable 
life;  and  here  and  now,  I  dare  assert,  that,  taking  into 
consideration  the  time  and  place  of  his  birth,  his  en- 
slaved condition,  his  absolute  handicap  in  the  way  of  ob- 
taining even  the  rudiments  of  an  education,  his  was  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  careers  that  stand  attested,  by 
any  other  colored  man,  of  his  age  and  generation. 

It  is  a  peculiar  and  interesting  fact,  which  I  may 
mention,  in  passing,  that  my  father  and  I,  together, 
have  lived  in  portions  of  three  centuries — the  eighteenth, 
the  nineteenth  and  the  twentieth  centuries :  Father  was 
born,  as  I  have  said,  in  the  year  1793 ;  he  lived  until  No- 
vember, 1850 ;  while  this  writer  having  been  born  in  1845, 
in  the  19th  century,  is  still  living,  in  the  20th  century. 
In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  it  may  be  noted,  that,  we 
each,  have  lived  in  two  centuries ;  my  father  in  the  18th 
and  19th  century,  and  this  writer  in  the  19th  and  20th 
centuries. 

My  father,  having  been  born  of  a  slave  mother — be- 
fore she  was  maumitted,  his  estate  followed  that  of  his 
unfortunate  mother, — he  was  a  slave!  Ye  gods!  fancy 
the  son  of  a  Stanley  in  slavery!  yet,  stranger  conditions 
than  this  have  existed  in  the  southern  states  of  this 
country — the  ''natural"  colored  sons  and  daughters  of 
many  slave  masters  have  been  openly  sold,  on  the  auc- 
tion block,  and  the  proceeds  of  those  sales  have  gone  to 
line  the  pockets  of  their  un-natural  parents ! ! ! 

Little  "Johnnie  Green"  was  of  such  small  and  deli- 
cate frame,  even  up  to  the  time  when  he  entered  his 
"teens,"  that,  it  was  somewhat  of  a  problem,  what  dispo- 
sition should  be  made  of  him, — a  laborious  occupation  for 

10 


him  was  "out  of  the  question ;"  and  as  for  a  professional 
career,  that  was  not  to  be  thought  of. 

Finally,  it  was  determined  to  apprentice  him  to  a 
tailor;  and  the  resolution  was  no  sooner  adopted  than 
executed.  At  the  age  of  thirteen,  in  1806,  when,  by  rea- 
son of  diminutive  size,  he  was  dubbed  ''Jack,  the  weazel," 
he  first  crossed  his  legs,  on  the  ''board"  and  commenced 
a  career,  which  continued  for  forty-three  years,  when 
death  ended  it. 

Father  related  many  instances  of  shameful  treatment 
of  him  by  some  of  the  apprentice  boys  during  his  appren- 
ticeship, who  frequently  "picked"  on  him;  but  to  his  last 
day  he  spoke  in  terms  of  superlative  gratitude  of  the 
protection  often  extended  to  him  by  a  Frenchman,  Du- 
rand  by  name,  whose  memory  I  laud  and  magnify,  to  this 
day — who  can  tell  the  limitation  of 

"Little  deeds  of  kindness,  little  v/ords  of  love?" 

He  also,  often  spoke  of  his  meager  supply  of  food,  when 
old  Aunt  Hannah,  his  care-taker,  would,  at  times,  pre- 
pare and  serve  him  "Cush/*  a  dish  which  I  suspect  few 
of  the  present  generation  know  anything  about.  Having 
been  served  with  the  same  dish  in  my  childhood,  I  hereby 
submit  the  recipe  for  making  that  inexpensive  and  pal- 
atable dish:  Take  crusts  and  crumbs  of  cold  cornbread; 
moisten  them  moderately,  put  them  into  a  "spider,"  (fry- 
ing-pan) containing  a  modicum  of  hot  grease, — and  let 
them  fry,  until  all  are  nicely  browned;  then,  Voila!  a 
dish  for  a  hungry  boy.  We  think  we  are  experiencing 
"hard  times"  in  our  day ;  and  we  are,  in  many  instances ; 
but,  what  will  you  say  when  I  avow  to  you  that,  the  mis- 
tress of  his  salve  cousin,  Maria,  often,  before  sending  her 
out  into  the  street  to  perform  an  errand,  would  grease  her 
lips  in  token  of  the  fact  (?)  that,  she  had  been  eating 
meat! 

11 


Father,  considering  his  direct  lineal  descent,  was  in 
reason, — necessarily,  an  apt  pupil;  and,  in  the  course  of 
a  year  or  two,  he  began  to  earn  money,  by  doing  extra 
work,  during  his  spare  hours,  and  by  occupying  some  of 
the  hours  allotted  to  him  for  sleep,  in  this  way. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  when  his  apprenticeship 
was  ended,  he  was  the  proud  possessor  of  one  thousand 
dollars,  which  he  ultimately  used  in  buying  his  freedom ; 
for,  he  related  that,  after  he  had  married  a  free  wife,  he 
could  no  longer  endure  the  yoke  of  slavery. 

When  he  attained  his  liberty,  he  had  already 
learned  to  read  and  write.  In  fact,  he  had,  to  some  ex- 
tent, mastered  the  three  R's. 

No  school  door  swung  open,  or  even  ajar  for  him;  he 
learned  the  alphabet  in  some  mysterious  way,  for  it  was 
a  crime  to  teach  a  slave  to  read  and  write;  in  this  re- 
spect, he  was  in  a  sadder  plight  than  the  great  Frederick 
Douglass,  for  he,  before  he  escaped  from  slavery,  had 
some  ''side'*  instruction;  but  father,  had  no  instructor, 
save  a  copy  of  the  then,  Webster's  Elementary  Spelling 
Book,  which  was  his  inseparable  companion,  by  night  and 
by  day;  and,  with  the  assistance  of  a  blind  man,  whom, 
at  times,  he  led  through  the  street,  he  was  gradually  in- 
ducted into  the  mystery  of  reading. 

The  method  in  practice  between  my  "Daddy"  and 
the  blind  man,  was  as  follows :  Dad  would  call  the  letters 
of  a  word,  and  the  blind  man  would  tell  him  how  to  pro- 
nounce it;  and  "Jack-the-weazel,"  like  his  forebears,  being 
naturally  clever,  ere  long  was  reading,  in  the  same  little 
book,  the  monosyllabic  sentences,  beginning, — "No  man 
may  put  off  the  law  of  God." 

It  may  sui-prise  the  reader  to  learn,  that,  in  after 
years,  without  any  additional  schooling,  my  father  kept 
the  "single  and  double  entry"  books  of  accounts,  used  in 
his  business ;  that,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  he  owned  a 
large  collection  of  books,  amongst  which  I  can,  at  this 

12 


late  day,  recall,  The  Life  and  Speeches  of  Henry  Clay, 
The  Church  Register,  which  contained  thorough  accounts 
of  nation-wide  transactions  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  of  the  United  States ;  A  History  of  the  World,  by 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh;  Rollings  Ancient  History,  and  many 
others;  in  fact,  so  choice,  and,  in  some  instances,  rare, 
was  his  collection  of  books,  that,  when,  by  order  of  my 
mother,  they  were  sold  at  public  auction,  the  bidding  was 
spirited  and  the  competition  noteworthy,  to  obtain  pos- 
session of  some  of  them,  even  amongst  the  wealthy  slave- 
holders who  were  in  attendance. 

Unquestionably,  my  father  possessed  a  great    desire 
for  literary  attainments,  and  did  his  utmost  to  reach  to 
some  excellence,  along  that  line.    This  talent  on  his  part 
was  recognized  during  all  his  life.   Men  of  learning  and 
discrimination  sought  him  in  his  store  and  engaged  him  in 
conversation,  to  such  an  extent,  that  much  of  his  valuable 
time  was  lost,  in  this  way,  and  even  the  Bishops  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  (of  which  he  was  a  member) — Bishops 
Ives  and  Atkinson,  respectively,  always  visited  and  con- 
versed with  him,  when  they  made  their  episcopal  visits  to 
old  Christ  Church,  in  that  town.  In  this  connection,  it  may 
not  be  amiss  to  state  that,  although  born  and  reared    a 
slave,  and  residing    in  a  slave-holding    community,    my 
daddy,  so  deported  himself  as  to  merit  and  receive  kind 
and  courteous  treatment,  from  all.  He  owned  and  occupied 
with  his  family,  a  pew  in  Christ  Episcopal  Church,  which 
was  the  most  wealthy  and    aristocratic    congregation    in 
that  part  of  the  state ;  while  the  other  members,  with  two 
exceptions,  sat  in  the  galleries ;  and  as  proving  how  tena- 
cious he  was  of  what  he  conceived  to  be  his  rights,  it  may 
oe  stated,    that,    when   the    Reverend    Doctor    Buxtoii, 
(white)  a  clergyman  of  the  Episcopal    Church,    married 
lim  and  my  mother  in  Fayetteville,  North    Carolina,    in 
L837,  and  did  not  wear  his  clerical  robe,  he  would  not  give 
lim  a  bill  which  he  carried  in  his  vest  pocket  for  him. 

13 


I  may  add,  in  passing,  that,  my  father  who  never  as- 
pired to  be  called  a  poet,  in  any  sense,  yet,,  undoubtedly, 
was  possessed  of  the  afflatus,  to  some  extent,  for,  he  read 
the  higher  poets  with  avidity  and  had  committed  many 
excerpts  to  memory,  which,  in  animated  conversation, 
he  often  repeated.  As  an  illustration,  I  will  here  record 
one,  which  I  have  carried  in  my  memory  for  sixty-five 
years,  and  during  that  time,  I  have  never  seen  it  in  print : 

"Where  are  those  names  which  set  the  world  on  fire? 
\VTiere  does  the  pride  of  Rome  and  Greece  retire? 
Caesar's  dread  name  now  marks  the  butcher's  dog; 
While  Cato  saws  wood  and  Scipio  drives  the  hog. 
Seek  ye  for  Pompey? — Search  the  tanner's  yard. 
While  Nero,  you'll  find  your  kitchen's  faithful  guard." 

As  tending  to  show  that  father  was  possessed  of  a 
keen  sense  of  humor,  and  could  on  occasion  extemporize 
a  little  rhyme,  I  will  give  the  following  illustration: 

One  Sunday  afternoon,  when  he  and  some  of  his 
boon  companions  were  promenading,  one  of  the  principal 
streets  of  the  town  he  noticed  that  one  of  them,  ''Bos- 
ton" by  name,  was  wearing  a  coat  which  had  been  made 
in  his  tailor  shop,  and  that  it  had  been  dyed  l)lack. 
Like  a  flash  he  slapped  ''Boston"  on  his  shoulder,  and 
exclaimed, 

"This  coat  I  know,  it  once  was  brown, 
And  shone  all  o'er  this  Newbem  town; 
But  now,  alas,  this  coat  is  black. 
And  shines  upon  poor  Boston's  back!" 

It  is  needless  to  remark  that,  this  thinist  drew  forth 
much  merriment,  at  the  expense  of  "poor  Boston;"  but, 
since  it  was  confined  to  the  friendly  group,  it  was  taken 
for  a  joke,  as  was  intended. 

The  following  epitaph  written  (composed)  by  my 
father,  was  engraved  on  the  marble  headstone  placed  by 

14 


him  at  the  head  of  his  first  wife's  grave,  in  grateful  and 
loving  remembrance  of  her.  She  died  beloved  and  even 
revered  by  the  whole  community,  in  which  she  was  bom 
and  passed  her  useful  and  devout  life. 
''Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Sally  Green,  who  departed  this 
life  March  29th,  1837,  aged  45  years,  6  months. 

A  constant  friend,  a  tender,  loving  wife; 
Prudent  in  all  the  needful  cares  of  life; 
And  when  arrested  by  the  hand  of  Death, 
In  faith  and  hope  resigned  her  mortal  brreath. 
Her  soul,  we  trust,  doth  dwell  with  God,  above, 
And  there  drinks  in  the  copious  streams  of  love." 

In  the  course  of  father's  long  experience  as  a  tailor 
and  merchant  tailor,  he  had  many  apprentices,  some  of 
whom  became  quite  noteworthy,  by  reason  of  their  at- 
tainments and  mercantile  successes. 

The  most  conspicuous  of  these  was,  the  late  Rever- 
end William  J.  Alston,  a  native  of  Raleigh,  N.  C. ;  who, 
for  eight  years,  was  under  my  father's  eye,  and  finished 
his  apprenticeship — "cum  magna  laude". 

^William",  as  he  was  called,  was,  for  years,  bubbling 
over  with  animal  spirits ;  he  was  rude,  boisterous  and  un- 
tidy ;  and,  more  than  once,  had  to  be  disciplined.  It  was 
the  general  opinion  of  William  that,  he  was  a  "ne'er  do 
well,"  and,  that,  he  would  come  to  no  good  end. 

On  one  occasion,  he  tied  up  his  small  wardrobe  in  a 
bandana  handkerchief  and  shipped  to  "sail  before  the 
mast;"  however,  he  was  intercepted,  by  my  father,  be- 
fore the  departure  of  the  schooner,  taken,  with  his  lug- 
gage, back  to  his  home,  soundly  "flogged",  and  given 
some  wholesome  advice,  for  his  government,  in  the  fu- 
ture. 

Shortly  thereafter,  he  was  invited  to  participate  in 
the  exercises  of  a  singing  society,  which  held  Sunday 
afternoon  sessions.    He  accepted  the  invitation,  became 

15 


-r 


a  regular  and  most  interested  member,  and,  ultimately, 
announced  his  intention  to  study  theology,  for  the  Epis- 
copal ministry.  This  resolution  having  been  received 
with  marked  favor,  by  his  father,  the  late  Oscar  Alston, 
of  Raleigh,  N.  C,  he  was,  in  a  way,  matriculated  in  an 
institution  at  Chapel  Hill,  N.  C,  where  he  was  prepared 
for  college.  After  that,  he  was  graduated  fiom  Oberlin 
College  in  the  later  fifties ;  and,  finally,  at  Gambler,  Ohio, 
became  a  full  fledged  priest  in  the  Episcopal  Church. 

In  many  years,  this  true  and  tried  sei^vant  of  God,  as 
Rector  of  both  Saint  Phillip's  Church,  New  York  City, 
and  Saint  Thomas'  Church,  Philadelphia,  preached 
"Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified;"  and  his  sweet  exem- 
plary life  was  as  a  beacon  light,  to  many  who,  perhaps, 
otherwise,  would  have  been  stranded  and  lost. 

The  follovving  anecdote,  related  by  Rev.  Alston,  to  my 
dear  mother,  in  my  presence,  goes  far  to  prove  the  al- 
most intolerable  conditions  which  prevailed,  even  in  re- 
ligious educational  institutions,  in  the  United  States, 
prior  to  the  Civil  War. 

Being  the  only  colored  student  in  Kenyon  College, 
prior  to  the  abolition  of  slavery,  Alston  was  the  cjmosure 
of  all  eyes;  and,  at  times,  not  a  little  at  a  loss  for  com- 
panionship, and  even  association.  To  such  an  extent  was 
this  true,  that,  on  one  occasion,  while  taking  a  stroll,  in 
the  suburbs  of  the  old  college  town,  he  was  confronted 
by  a  cow,  who  honoring  him  with  a  friendly  stare,  turned 
out  of  his  way, — gave  him  "gangway"  (as  the  vulgar 
expression  of  our  day  would  have  it) ;  delighted  at  the 
unusual  recognition  and  courtesy  shown  him,  by  the 
humble  brute,  Alston  saluted  her  and  exclaimed, — "Good 
morning,  Mrs.  Cow!" 

It  goes  without  saying,  that,  we  had  a  hearty  laugh 
over  the  incident. 

Another  story,  related  by  him,  at  the  same  time,  is 
recalled  by  the  former.  During  a  summer  vacation,  while 

16 


exerting  himself  to  add  to  the  contents  of  his  niea^^er 
purse,  he  shipped  as  a  waiter  on  a  steamer  plying  be- 
tween Cleveland  and  Lake  Superior  ports.  On  arriving 
at  Duluth,  Escanaba  or  some  one  of  the  other  •'sea- 
port towns,"  he  left  the  steamer  and  went  in  search  of 
some  other  remunerative  employment.  The  older  reader  s 
of  this  narrative  will  recall,  that,  during  the  later  part 
of  the  ''fifties,"  the  whole  country  was  in  the  giip  of  a 
most  trying  panic,  which  made  it  almost  impossible  to 
procure  remunerative  labor,  at  any  price.  "William,"  in 
that  remote  section,  soon  made  this  discovery ;  and,  since 
the  boat  had  gone,  and  funds  were  extremely  low,  he  was 
''open"  to  any  job  that  presented  itself.  He  soon  found 
it,  in  the  shape  of  a  small  mountain  of  earth  which  had 
been  formed  by  the  excavation  of  a  large  hole,  to  be  osed 
as  a  cellar. 

The  owner  of  this  mountain  offered  to  pay  him  the 
sum  of  thirty-five  dollars,  and  furnish  him  with  a  shovel 
and  wheel-barrow,  if  he  would  remove  it.  In  a  jiffy,  he 
accepted  the  proposition,  and  v/ithout  delay,  having 
"peeled"  of  his  coat,  disregarding  his  flaccid  muscles  and 
tender  hands,  he  bent  to  his  task.  At  the  end  of  two 
weeks,  he  had  finished  the  undertaking  and  received  his 
compensation,  which  he  had  in  his  pocket,  when  the  boat 
returned  to  convey  him.  back  to  Cleveland. 

Another  of  father's  apprentices,  who  was  graduated 
with  honor,  from  his  workshop,  was  the  late  Jerry  Har- 
vey, of  Boston,  Mass.  Mr.  Harvey,  near  the  close  of  his 
apprenticeship,  had  the  sad  misfortune,  while  playfully, 
pointing  a  gun  at  a  comrade,  on  Christmas  day,  to  kill 
him,  by  its  accidental  discharge. 

In  North  Carolina,  in  the  "thirties,"  such  an  occur- 
rence was  an  exceedingly  grave  affair;  for  the  old  crim- 
inal "Comon  Law"  of  England,  with  only  slight  modifica- 
tions, was  still  in  vogue,  which  made  the  condition  of  the 

17 


offender  vastly  different  than  now,   under   our   enlight- 
ened and  merciful  regime. 

However,  my  father  went  to  the  front  for  him;  and, 
as  usual,  he  received  a  respectful  hearing,  in  behalf  of 
the  unfortunate  young  man;  and  the  matter  was  com- 
promised, by  allowing  the  defendant  to  leave  the  state, 
not  to  return  again.  Without  any  delay,  Mr.  Harvey  be- 
took himself  to  Boston,  where  he  followed  the  trade 
vv'hich  had  been  taught  him;  and,  being  very  successful, 
along  this  line,  his  name  became  well  known,  especially 
amongst  colored  people,  in  all  sections  of  New  England. 
At  that  period  in  the  history  of  the  South,  Mr.  Harvey 
might  with  propriety  have  paraphrased  our  well  known 
school  declamation,  beginning. 

"Banished  from  Rome  (Newbera)!    What's  banished — (but  set  free, 
From  daily  contact  with  the  things  I  loathe!" 

My  father  was  a  man  of  generous,  impulses;  he 
really,  at  times,  when  pressed  to  bestow  a  favor,  could 
not  say  "No,"  and  since  the  homestead  exemptions  to 
heads  of  families,  in  that  state,  at  that  time,  were  ex- 
tremely scant,  the  usual  result  followed — he  was  com- 
pelled to  meet  the  defaults  of  others  by  exhausting  his 
earnings  and  sacrificing  his  properties.  Added  to  this  was 
the  fact  that,  on  two  several  occasions  his  establishments 
were  destroyed  by  fire.  On  both  occasions,  he  was  the 
victim  of  neighboring  conflagrations.  It  is,  scarcely  nec- 
essary to  say,  that,  the  amount  of  insurance  recovered 
by  him  at  that  time,  was  of  slight  value;  hence,  his  was 
an  almost  total  loss. 

Twice,  he  bought  some  of  his  relatives,  when  being 
sold  at  public  auction,  being  entreated  by  them  to  save 
them  from  the  speculator. 

NOTE — The  "speculator  was  a  person  who  traveled  from  one  loca- 
tion to  another,  buying  slaves  for  resale  and  speculation,  in  the 
cotton,  cane  and  rice  producing  sections  of  the  Gulf  States. 

18 


The  amounts  thus  advanced  by  him,  it  is  needless  to  say 
were  never  returned  to  him. 

Being  importuned  by  two  frail  mulatto  youths  ap- 
prentices  of  his,  for  whom  he  entertained  regard  '  and 
sympathy,  be  bought  them,  on  their  promise  to  repay 
him  the  money  advanced,  in  installments:  Sad  to  relate 
both  these  young  men  died,  of  tuberculosis,  before  they 
had  paid  to  him  a  tenth  of  the  money  advanced-one 
thousand  dollars,  for  each  of  them;  here,  again,  was  an 
additional  loss  of  two  thousand  dollars,  which,  we  must 
not  forget,  was,  then,  worth  at  least,  three  times  as  much 
as  at  the  present  time. 

Ultimately,  of  course,  he  was  stripped  of  all  his 
earthly  possessions,  save  his  honor;  and,  broken  in  body 
bereft  of  his  redundant  humor,  good  cheer  and  genial' 
whole-souled,  winsome  conversation,  he  betook  himself 
to  his  bed,  from  which  he  was  never  to  rise  again. 

The  sheriff  came,  levied  on  everything,  save  the  sad 
and  downcast  widow  and  three  forlorn  children,  ranging 
m  age  from  eleven  years  to  nine  months.  This  writer 
being  second  in  order,  was  five  years  of  age,  small  and 
weak  for  the  age. 

"Lift  me  up  and  let  me  die!"  he  said  to    our    dear 
mother,  after  a  lingering  illness;  and  so  died  John  R 
Green^  of  Newbern,  North  Carolina,  of  whom  it  may  be 
said,  "He  loved  not  wisely,  but  too  well." 

The  more  I  reflect  on  the  current  of  my  father's 
eventful  life,-of  his  early  struggles  for  existence,— his 
social  limitations— his  vaulting  ambitions,  his  consuming 
zeal,  and  his  unspeakable  disappointments,  the  more  I 
wonder  at  the  phenominal  successes  which  attended  his 
efforts. 

He  was  broad  and  cosmopolitan  in  his  views  and 
altho  he  was  a  colored  American,  in  a  slave  state,  carry- 
ing on  his  shoulders  all  that  incubus  of  caste  proscription 
which  characterized  the  time  and  place  in  which  he  lived 

19 


yet,  he  counted  amongst  his  friends  and  quasi-associates, 
many  of  the  wealthy  as  well  as  the  poor  whites,  in  the 
place  of  his  residence. 

It  was  no  uncommon  occurence  to  meet  jr>  his  place 
of  business  illiterate  persons  of  the  white  race,  who  took 
advantage  of  his  literary  attainments,  to  procure  **beg- 
ging-petitions"  and  other  documents,  for  public  use ;  and, 
after  his  death,  I  was  accosted  frequently,  by  persons  of 
both  races,  who  would  ask  me, — "Whose  boy  are  you?"  I 
would  answer,  "I  am  the  son  of  John  R.  Green."  Then, 
invariably,  the  reply  would  be,  "Well,  son,  you  must  be 
a  good  boy,  for  your  father  was  a  good  man!" 

Father  was  very  fond  of  aquatic  sports.  If  a  "vessel" 
was  to  be  launched  or  any  race  rowed  on  the  river,  he 
was  sure  to  be  one  of  the  spectators,  and  as  for  swim- 
ming, boating  and  fishing,  they  were  the  acme  of  his 
out-of-door  pleasures. 

The  town  of  Newbern,  North  Carolina,  is  located  in 
the  triangle  formed  by  the  juncture  of  the  Neuse  and 
Trent  rivers,  where  they  unite  to  form  Pamlico  Sound. 
These  rivers,  as  well  as  the  Sound,  are  well  stocked  with 
many  species  of  most  delicious  seafood,  not  omitting 
oysters,  clams  and  hard  and  soft-shell  crabs.  So  fond  was 
he  of  sea-food,  that,  when  the  hegira  of  colored  people 
from  the  South  to  the  North  was  at  flood-tide,  during  the 
decade  prior  to  the  Civil  war,  and  especially  during  the 
debates  in  Congress,  about  the  year  1850,  and  he  was 
asked,  whether  or  not  he  intended  to  join  in  the  proces- 
sion, he  answered,  that  he  would  never  leave  North  Car- 
olina, until  he  could  carry  the  Neuse  and  Trent  rivers 
with  him.  And,  it  is  a  notable  fact,  that,  as  long  as  we  re- 
mained in  that  state,  he  was  the  only  person  who,  know- 
ingly, had  ever  walked  over  the  frozen  surface  of  the 
Trent  river,  at  Newbern,  where  it  is  from  a  half  to  a 
mile  wide.  This  feat  he  daringly  accomplished  during  the 
winter  of  1833-4,  as  my  mother  informed  me. 

20 


As  a  workman,  my  father,  was  without  a  superior, 
in  that  section  of  the  state.  He  designed  and  executed  all 
styles  of  clothing  and  uniforms  which  the  trade  de- 
manded, even  going  back  to  old  continental  styles  and 
theatrical  costumes. 

In  closing  this  brief  sketch  of  the  life  of  my  dear 
father,  I  shall,  use  the  lines  of  Lord  Byron,  as  dedicated 
to  a  poetic  enthusiast  of  his  time.  White,  by  name,  only 
paraphrasing  a  word  or  two  to  make  them  applicable. 

''Unhappy  soul,  when  life  was  in  its  spring, 

And  thy  young  muse  just  waved  her  joyous  wing, 

The  spoiler  swept  thy  soaring  lyre  away, 

Vy-'hich  else,  had  sounded  an  immortal  lay. 

O,  what  a  noble  life  was  there  undone, 

When  science's  self  destroyed  her  favorite  son! 

Yes,  she  too  much  indulged  thy  fond  pursuit. 

She  sowed  the  seed,  but  Death  has  reaped  the  fruit. 

'Twas  thine  own  genius  stnick  the  fatal  blow. 

And  helped  to  plant  the  wound  that  laid  thee  low. 

Like  the  struck  Eagle,  stretched  upon  the  plain. 

No  more  through  rolling  clouds  to  soar  again, 

Viewed  his  own  feather  on  the  fatal  dart, 

And  winged  the  shaft  that  quivered  in  his  heart. 

Keen  were  his  pangs,  yet  keener  far  to  feel 

He  nursed  the  pinion  which  impelled  the  steel, 

While  the  same  plumage  which  had  warmed  his  nest 

Drank  the  last  life-drop  of  his  bleeding  breast!" 

Here  begins,  in  an  humble  way,  an  epic,  to  end  when 
and  how^  God,  in  his  great  wisdom,  power  and  mercy,  wills 
it  to  end.  We  follow  the  little  sombre  hearse  by  twos,  in 
the  direction  of  Christ-Church  Cemetery  (now  popularly 
known,  there,  as  Rock  Cemetery).  Mother,  supported  on 
the  arm  of  a  true  and  tried  old  friend,  leading  the  cortege, 
this  writer  clinging  to  the  arm  of  his  elder  sister,  next; 
a  few  friends  following. 

The  beautiful  burial  service  of  the  Episcopal  Church 
having  been  read,  and  the  final,  "earth  to  earth, — dust 

21 


to  dust,"  having  been  pronounced,  forlorn  and  needy,  we 
turn  away,  to  confront  and  fight, — to  "strut  and  fret,'' 
our  more  or  less  gloomy  way, — widowed,  and  fatherless, 
for  many  years  to  come. 

Mother,  glum,  demure  and  determined  as  ever  Spar- 
tan mother  showed  herself,  turns  from  her  palatial  resi- 
dence of  yore,  mahogany  furniture,  cut-glass,  silver  serv- 
ice, the  ministration  of  maid  servants  and  hosts  of  friends, 
and  repairs,  with  her  little  biood,  to  a  rude  cottage,  in 
an  obscure  section  of  the  old  town;  confronted,  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  narrow  street,  by  the  ancient  "grave 
yard,"  gloomy  with  its  "weeping"  willows,  funereal  cy- 
presses and  moss-covered  cedars;  and  flanked,  on  either 
side,  by  dwellings,  tenanted  by  persons,  the  like  of  whom 
she  had  never  known  as  associates;  and  who,  on  occa- 
sions, would  publicly  proclaim,  in  clarion  tones,  "It  makes 
no  difference  how  high  the  Eagle  flies  in  the  air,  he's  got 
ter  come  down  ter  git  'is  support!!" 
As  the  Immortal  Bard  puts  it: 

0,  what  a  falling  off,  my  countrjmien,  was  there!" 


22 


CHAPTER  II. 
CHILDHOOD  DAYS. 

"Is  the  road  dreary? — Patience  yet; 

Rest  will  be  sweeter  if  thou  are  aweary; 
Then  bide  a  wee  and  dinna  fret." 

In  commencing  the  first  chapter,  I  stated,  humorous- 
ly, that  I  was  "born  with  a  silver  spoon  in  my  mouth,'' 
and  rocked  in  the  cradle  of  luxury  (a  mahogany  cradle, 
to  be  explicit) .  But  now,  all  is  changed,  save  that  mother 
still  retains  a  few  pieces  of  the  furniture,  and  broken 
sets  of  silver-ware,  rescued  from  the  flames, — grim  re- 
minders of  the  fact  that,  the  besom  of  destruction  had 
passed  by,  and  the  merciless  hand  of  fate  was  weighing 
heavily  upon  us. 

In  that  sad  predicament,  some  of  her  friends  v/on- 
dered  that  she,  being  still  in  comparative  youth,  DJid 
pleasing  to  look  upon  did  not  accept  several  offers  of 
marriage  made  to  her,  especially,  since  her  only  means 
of  existence,  for  herself  and  three  fatherless  children, 
was  the  use  of  the  needle,  which,  at  that  time  and  place, 
was  a  source  of  very  small  remuneration.  Her  cui*t  an- 
swer was  that,  she  would  not  place  her  children  under  any 
step-father,  to  be  treated  in  accordance  with  his  whim 
or  mood. 

23 


My  domestic  environment  was,  apparently,  all  that 
could  have  been  wished,  for  a  poor  boy.  Far  better  than 
that  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  Frederick  Douglass  or  Booker 
T.  Washington,  at  five  years  of  age,  for,  my  food,  tho 
scant  at  times,  was  sufficient  to  sustain  life,  at  least.  I 
had  a  feather  bed,  still,  to  sleep  upon,  in  cold  weather, 
and  mother,  by  extraordinary  efforts,  managed  to  pre- 
serve for  me  a  "Sunday  suit  of  clothes." 

In  addition  to  the  support  which  we  derived  from 
the  industrious  use  of  the  needle  by  our  mother,  we  had, 
in  our  garden,  which  was  intelligently  cultivated,  a  source 
of  much  assistance.  In  addition  to  a  few  plum  trees  and  a 
large  fig  tree,  all  of  which  yielded  abundantly,  in  season, 
we  raised  fair  crops  of  sweet  corn,  collards,  and  the 
medics!  roots  and  herbs  which,  a  century  ago,  could  be 
found  in  every  well  regulated  truck  garden. 

Southern  people  and  those  native  to  the  soil,  will 
recognize  in  the  term  "collard,"  a  plant  greatly  resem- 
bling the  cabbage,  down  to  the  time  when  the  cabbage 
'lieads".  The  collard  is  of  a  greener  tint  than  the  cab- 
bage, and  never  heads,  save  to  the  size  of  a  small 
orange,  in  the  center.  When  the  frosts  come,  the  leaves 
of  the  collards  are  streaked  white  and,  v/hen  boiled,  in 
a  big  iron  "pot",  hung  on  trammels,  placed  in  the  big 
fire-place,  with  a  piece  of  bacon,  pork  or  corned-beef,  to- 
gether with  the  well  known  "corn-dodgers,"  they  fur- 
nished the  dish  de  resistance,  placed  before  a  half -fam- 
ished boy. 

I  can't  see,  at  this  writing,  what  on  earth  would 
have  become  of  us,  had  we  not  been  in  possession  of 
that  Uttle  garden,  and  a  few  chickens,  which  furnished 
us  with  an  occasional  egg  to  vary  the  monotony  of  our 
diet. 

In  order  to  procure  a  piece  of  "fresh  beef,"  or  a 
f*ouiiid  of  liver,  it  was  necessary  to  arise  with  the  lark 
sM  hie  us  to  the  market  house,  which,  with  the  Court 

24 


House,  stood  at  the  junction  of  the  two  principal  streets, 
and  formed  an  imposing  group. 

Let  it  not  be  imagined,  however,  that  our  dear 
mother  was,  in  any  sense,  remiss  or  lax  in  providing  for 
the  future,  for  denying  herself  fine  clothing  and  all  the 
adornments  of  the  body,  so  much  coveted  by  many  women, 
she  dedicated  her  whole  life  to  the  support  and  partial 
education  of  her  children.  During  the  summer  season, 
she  would  save,  as  best  she  could,  a  dollar  now  and  then, 
for  the  purpose  of  buying  a  pig,  for  the  remainder  of  the 
year,  and  then,  when  the  weather  was  sufficiently  cold, 
she  would  purchase,  on  the  market,  one  of  the  weight  of 
a  hundred  or  a  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  and  impose  on 
this  writer  the  task  of  wheeling  it  home. 

I  have  a  very  pleasant  remembrance,  in  this  connec- 
tion of  a  friendly-generous  act,  performed,  in  my  behalf, 
by  a  noble  white  lady,  during  the  winter  of  1855-6,  w^hich 
goes  far  to  prove  that,  neither  true  gentlehood  nor  true 
womanhood  is  always  to  be  found  in  the  palace ;  nor  must 
we  search  for  them  beneath  ''robes  and  furred  gowns." 
Now  listen!  Miss  Arete  Ellis,  a  maiden  lady  of  culture 
and  refinement,  was  the  matron  of  the  Griffin  Academy, 
an  institution  founded  for  the  nurture  and  education  of 
poor  white  girls,  in  that  section  of  North  Carolina.  She 
was  an  Episcopalian  by  religious  faith,  and  attended 
Christ  Episcopal  Church,  at  the  head  of  her  group,  every 
Sunday  morning. 

She  had  known  my  father  all  her  life,  and  she  had 
seen  me  and  my  elder  sister,  in  our  pew,  invariably,  every 
Sunday  morning. 

On  the  occasion  I  am  now  referring  to,  I  was  wheel- 
ing, in  a  wheelbarrow,  a  dressed  pig,  weighing  about  a 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  I  was  ten  years  of  age,  and 
weighed  exactly  fifty  pounds.  Placing  a  fifty  pound 
weight  on  one  side  of  the  old  market  scales,  I  would 
then  stand  upon  the  other  side,  and  they  w^ould  equally 

25 


balance — as  the  slang  phrase  of  the  present  day  would 
have  it— it  was  ''fifty-fifty." 

The  day  to  which  I  have  referred,  was  one  of  the 
coldest  I  had  ever  seen  or  felt,  and  I  was  minus  an  over- 
coat. I  had  stopped  at  about  half  the  distance  to  my 
destination,  to  rest  my  muscles  (?)  and  recover  my 
breath,  when  along  came  Miss  Arete  Ellis,  nicely  and 
warmly  clad,  carrying  in  her  hands  a  few  parcels  which 
she  had  just  purchased  from  one  of  the  dry  goods  stores 
where  she  had  been  shopping. 

Slackening  her  gait,  she  beamed  upon  me  a  counte- 
nance full  of  sympathy  and  compassion.  'Toor  little  fel- 
low!'' she  exclaimed,  "Are'nt  you  very  cold?"  "Yes 
ma'am !"  I  answered.  "Well,  take  my  parcels,  and  let  me 
help  you,"  was  her  rejoinder.  Suiting  the  action  to  the 
word,  she  handed  me  the  things,  seized  the  handles  of 
the  wheelbarrow,  and  trundled  it  along  the  public  street, 
almost  to  my  mother's  door ! 

Here  was,  in  very  fact,  an  angel  in  disguise.  Her 
name  was  Arete,  a  Greek  word,  which,  in  the  original 
Greek  signifies  talent,  skill,  fitness,  courage,  etc., 
and  surely,  on  this  occasion,  she  proved  that  she  was 
worthy  of  the  name.  Miss  Ellis  has,  long  since,  been 
gathered  into  the  bosom  of  her  Lord  and  Master  whom 
she  loved  and  served.  It  has  been  sixty-five  years  since 
this  unselfish  deed  was  done,  "Unto  one  of  the  least  of 
these."  But,  her  face  and  form  and  kindly  act,  lives  and 
blooms  perennially,  in  my  mind  and  heart,  never  to  be 
forgotten;  and,  v/hether  there  be  erected  monument  or 
tablet  in  commemoration  of  her  useful,  virtuous  and 
noble  life,  I  know  not;  but,  here  and  now,  I  pour  out  to 
her  all  the  gratitude  and  esteem  of  an  appreciative  heart 
hoping  that  a  knowledge  of  her  goodness  may  stimulate 
others  to  "go  and  do  likewise." 

Returning  to  mother  and  her  struggles :  Sometimes 
the  "bacon"  would  be  exhausted  before  the    next    pig 

26 


would  be  purchased ;  at  other  times,  work  would  be  acarce 
and  the  purse  would  be  almost  depleted.  On  such  occa- 
sions, the  strictest  economy  would  be  required.  Once  in 
a  while  we  would  put  some  cornmeal  into  a  bowl,  sprinkle 
some  salt  in  and  upon  it,  pour  in  some  hot  water  and 
stir  it  thoroughly.  After  that,  we  would  place  it  on 
a  "giiddle,"  with  live  coals  under  it.  When  it  browned 
on  one  side,  we  would  turn  it  over  and  brown  it  on  the 
other  side.  Then  we  would  divide  it  into  four  equal  parts, 
of  which  each  one  was  given  a  portion,  to  eat  or  let 
alone,  as  the  humor  moved  us. 

Judge  John  R.  Donald,  the  widower  of  the  late 
daughter  of  the  former  Governor  Richard  Dobbs  Speight, 
of  whom  I  have  spoken,  had  a  mansion  about  half  a  mile 
distant  from  the  humble  abode  of  my  m.other.  Here  were 
sei-vants  galore,  and  food  in  abundance.  Several  of  the 
servants  were  related,  by  blood,  to  my  deceased  Father, 
and  they  sympathized  with  us,  in  our  forlorn  condition. 
One  of  the  poor  slave  women,  for  whom  father  had  done 
a  kindness,  could  not  endure  the  thought  of  my  elder 
sister  doing  the  family  washing,  and  be  it  said  to  her 
everlasting  honor,  that  she  came  to  mother  by  night, 
and  begged  permission  to  do  the  washing,  rather  than 
that  my  sister  should  do  it. 

Mother,  in  her  stern,  positive  way,  said,  "No,  Sarah 
has  got  to  work  for  her  living,  and  she  may  as  well  be 
learning  now  as  later  on."  That  ended  the  matter,  and 
for  years  after  that,  while  mother  sewed,  sister  in  her 
teens,  assisted  and  did  the  washing. 

Amongst  Judge  Donald's  maid  servants,  were  two, 
one  whom  we  denominated,  ''Little  Auntie,"  and  another 
known  as  Aunt  Hannah.  Each  was  domiciled  on  the 
premises,  in  adjoining  rooms  of  an  out-house.  ''Little 
Auntie"  was  a  cousin  of  my  father,  and,  quite  reasonably, 
regretted  the  great  misfortune  which  had  befallen  us, 
and  in  her  poor  way  she  told  mother  to  send  me  around 

27 


there  in  the  night  time,  and  ^he  v/ould  give  me  some  milk 
to  carry  home,  and  such  oth^r,  little  articles  of  food  as 
remained  over  from  the  table  of  the  great-house.  Of 
course,  we  eagerly  grasped  at  this  opportunity  of  satis- 
fying the  cravings  of  hunger,  and  it  became  my  duty  to 
go  to  Judge  Donald's,  every  night  and  fetch  home,  the 
bounty  dispensed  to  us. 

This  was,  at  times,  a  source  of  much  assistance  to 
us  and  we  made  the  most  of  it.  Indeed,  so  jubilant  was  I 
over  the  trend  of  affairs,  that,  I  v/as  wont  to  exclaim,  in 
superlative  glee, — "That  woman  that  you  call  Little 
A-u-n-t-i-e,  has  a  p-1-e-n-t-i-e!"  'That  woman  you  call 
Aunt  Hannah  has  a  p-1-e-n-t-i-e!"  And  so,  these  poor 
slave  women,  grateful  for  kindnesses  which  our  big- 
hearted  daddy  had  bestowed  on  them,  in  the  day  of  his 
abundance,  found  now  their  opportunity  of  re-paying, 
almost  in  kind,  what  their  true  hearts  had  always  been 
grateful  for. 

In  those  days,  I  was  little  more  than  seven  years  of 
age,  and,  frequently,  the  streets  through  which  I  wended 
my  way  to  Judge  Donald's  were  as  dark  as  Egypt.  How- 
ever, I  quailed  not,  and  when  I  could  not  see  the  route,  I 
tried  to  feel  it,  as  best  I  could. 

Sometimes,  Aunt  Hannah  would  sigh,  and  say,  "Ah 
(air)  Johnnie,  I  haven't  got  nothin'  fer  yer  ter  night  1" 
On  such  occasions,  returning  home  empty-handed, 
mother  would  say:  "Well,  go  to  bed  and  go  to  sleep,  and 
you  will  forget  your  hunger!"  This  I  did,  on  more  than 
one  occasion.  We  had  our  bright  days  though,  for  on 
Christmas,  mother  always  secured  a  little  turkey,  and 
during  the  summer  season,  we  more  than  once  enjoyed  a 
lusciojRs  water-melon. 

As  soon  as  I  was  strong  enough  to  use  a  wood-saw, 
I  was  given  charge  of  sawing  and  splitting  the  firewood. 
A  cord  of  hickory,  oak  or  ash  wood  would  be  thrown 
over  our  fence.    After  that,  the  trouble  began.  However, 

28 


as  I  look  back  to  those  days,  and  the  benefit  which  I  de- 
rived from  my  contact  with  those  wood  piles,  in  the  way 
of  developing  muscles  and  general  physique,  I  am  per- 
suaded that,  the  criminal  branches  of  our  courts  would 
have  less  to  do,  had  every  boy  a  wood  pile  and  "buck- 
saw" in  his  back  yard,  over  which  he  could  preside  with 
honor  and  profit. 

This  recalls  the  fact  (which  I  am  very  proud  of), 
that,  in  the  winter  of  1858,  when  I  was  thirteen  years 
of  age  and  weighed  just  sixty  pounds,  I  raised  the  money 
to  buy  me  a  pair  of  skates,  by  sawing  and  splitting  and 
piling  up  three  cords  of  wood.  Two  cords  I  sawed  into 
three  pieces,  and  one  cord,  I  sawed  into  two  pieces.  It 
required  much  walking  around  the  streets  of  Cleveland, 
in  order  to  find  the  wood,  and  I  regret  to  relate  it,  after 
buying  the  skates,  I  used  them  only  a  few  times,  before 
I  was  seized  with  pneumonia,  and  sold  them  for  about 
one-half  their  purchase  price.  What  limited  skating  I 
tried  to  do  was  without  pleasure,  for,  I  wore  shoes,  while 
the  other  boys  wore  boots.  My  shoes  were  too  low  for  the 
proper  strapping  of  the  skates  on,  and  my  ankles  would 
ever  and  anon  turn  over,  and  cause  me  to  fall. 

Another  task  which  I  had  imposed  upon  me,  while  I 
was  yet  a  little  boy,  in  Newbern,  was  that  of  turning  the 
grind-stone,  for  Uncle  Balaam  Jones,  a  cooper,  who 
would  recompense  me  by  supplying  some  portion  of  our 
firewood. 

Every  Saturday  afternoon,  I  would  go  to  Planner's 
cooper  sho^  about  half  a  mile  distant  from  our  home,  to 
perform  this  function.  I  was  too  light  and  weak  for  the 
work,  but  mother  permitted  us  to  eat   no   "idle   bread." 

At  times,  when  Uncle  Balaam  would  bear  down  with 
considerable  weight,  the  grindstone  would  cease  revolv- 
ing. Then  he  would  "let  up"  for  a  few  moments  and  al- 
low me  to  rest  a  little,  before  proceeding  again,  and, 
when,    finally,    the    adz,    the    broad-axe,    the    drawing 

29 


knives,  the  chisels,  etc.,  etc.,  were  properly  sharpened,  I 
was  well  nigh  exhausted,  for,  be  it  remembered,  that  I 
was  conditioned  like  "hungry  Jake,"  in  the  Minstrel 
show.  The  interlocutor  said  to  him,  "Brace  up!"  Jake 
answered:  "How  kin  I  brace  up,  when  I  aint  got  nuthin 
to  brace  up  on!"  Many  times  I  went  to  perform  the  task 
before  I  had  dined,  (?)  for  mother  w^as  loth  to  lay  her 
work  down  before  she  had  accomplished  a  given  task. 

The  grinding  being  completed,  then  came  my  recom- 
pense. Uncle  Balaam  would  select  some  defective  ash 
"heading,"  split  them  to  convenient  sizes  and  fill  my  deep 
tray  which  I  had  carried  there  for  the  pui-pose.  After 
this,  he  would  assist  me  in  placing  the  burden  on  my 
head.  I  had  no  little  four-wheeled  wagon  to  draw  it  home 
in.  Then  I  would  start  for  home,  half  a  mile  distant. 

In  the  course  of  four  or  five  minutes,  the  pressure 
upon  the  top  of  my  ten-eleven  year  old  cranium,  would 
cause  my  eyes  to  feel  that  they  were  beginning  to  bulge 
out;  and  my  neck  w^ould  pain  me  severely.  In  such  an 
emergency,  I  would  "sidle"  up  to  the  nearest  fence  and 
ease  one  end  of  my  tray  onto  the  top  of  it ;  having  rested 
a  while,  I  would  proceed  on  my  course,  repeating  the  act 
from  time  to  time,  until  I  reached  my  home. 

On  the  route  leading  from  the  cooper  shop  to  my  home, 
resided  a  family  by  the  name  of  Bragg, — father,  mother 
and  some  seven  sons  and  daughters.  The  father  was  a 
tailor  by  trade — carrying  work  to  his  home  and  perform- 
ing it  there,  with  the  assistance  of  his  good  wife  and 
other  members  of  his  family. 

Two  of  the  boys,  Cicero  and  Edwin,  both  of  whom  re- 
sembled white  boys,  seemed  to  "have  it  in"  for  me;  and 
since  there  was  no  other  route  I  could  take,  in  returning 
to  my  home,  from  the  cooper-shop,  I  was  compelled  to 
pass  the  residence  of  the  Braggs  where  these  two  boys, 
switches  in  hand,  invariably  ^waited  me.  Both  were  my 
superiors  in  age  and  size;  and  there  was  no  alternative 

30 


for  me,  but  to  "grin"  and  bear  the  whipping,  which  they 
administered  to  me,  as  I  quickened  my  pace,  with  bulging 
eyes  and  aching  neck !  The  complaints  of  my  mother  had 
little  effect  in  stopping  their  brutal  sport,  for  it  would 
ever  and  anon  recur. 

The  irony  and  cruelty  of  this  torture  which  they  im- 
posed on  me  was  all  the  more  conspicuous  from  the  fact 
that,  my  dear  deceased  father  had,  to  a  greater  degree 
than  anyone  else  in  the  world,  been  instrumental  in  se- 
curing Mrs.  Bragg's  freedom  from  slavery; — even  ad- 
vancing some  portion  of  the  purchase  price,  which  had 
not  been  returned  to  him,  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Here  is  one  sequel  to  what  I  have  just  recited.  About 
twenty  years  after  the  occurrences  between  the  two 
Bragg  boys  and  me,  Edwin  and  I  were  both  residing  in 
the  City  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  my  present  home.  I  was  a 
lawyer  and  Justice  of  the  Peace  of  the  Township  of 
Cleveland,  while  Edwin  was  a  barber.  Edwn  committed 
a  larceny,  and  was  indicted  for  a  felony.  He  was  without 
means,  and  I  defended  him,  gratis.  I  put  forth  every  ef- 
fort at  my  command,  to  save  him  from  the  penitentiary, 
but  all  to  no  purpose. 

He  was  convicted  of  grand  larceny  and  sentenced  to 
serve  a  term  in  the  State  Prison.  In  sentencing  him  to 
the  penitentiary  the  aged  and  learned  Judge  Foote  com- 
plimented me  on  the  energy  and  interest  which  I  had 
evinced  in  defending  the  young  man.  I  told  the  judge 
that,  he  was  the  son  of  one  of  my  deceased  father's 
friends,  and  the  playmate  of  my  childhood.  Whereupon, 
the  judge  expressed  great  surprise;  and  animadverted  on 
the  fact  that,  he  had  fallen  so  low,  while  I  had  followed 
another  course.  Later  on  in  life,  his  form  crossed  my 
vision;  after  that  he  was  swallowed  up  in  the  human 
whirl,  and  was  lost  to  me,  entirely. 

On  one  occasion,  while  I  was  turning  the  grind-stone, 

31 


for  Uncle  Balaam,  an  incident  occurred  which,     to    my 
''dying  day,"  will  haunt  my  memory. 

Mr.  Hancock,  the  "town  sergeant,"  came  into  the 
cooper-shop  and  exclaimed,  "I  want  one  of  your  men  to 
make  me  a  paddle!"  The  men,  one  and  all,  knowing  the 
purpose  of  torture  that  the  paddle  would  be  put  to,  stout- 
ly refused  to  make  it.  This  they  could  do  with  safety,  at 
that  time,  for  they  were  slaves,  and  knew  that  their 
masters  would  uphold  and  protect  them  in  the  refusal. 
It  is  not  so  in  the  south  now. 

"Well,"  said  the  official,  "give  me  a  drawing  knife  and 
a  brace  and  bit,  and  I  will  make  it  myself." 

He  was  "as  good  as  his  word" ;  for  in  a  jiffy,  he  had 
the  instrument  made  and  bored  full  of  holes.  He  then 
took  his  departure,  caiTying  the  paddle  with  him.  I  fol- 
lowed him, — at  a  distance ;  for  I  was  curious  to  learn  the 
sequel. 

From  my  coign  of  vantage,  I  saw  him  go  to  a  remote 
spot,  up  the  shore  of  the  Neuse  river,  which  coursed  near 
the  location  of  the  cooper  shojf  and  stop  under  a  cypress 
tree  which  reared  its  head  in  the  rrjidst  of  the  pure  white 
sand. 

There,  stood  a  group  of  white  men,  with  a  young  negro, 
in  their  midst,  awaiting  him.  As  the  sergeant  busied 
himself  in  removing  a  portion  of  the  unfortunate  Negro's 
clothing,  tying  his  hands  behind  him  and  partially  swing- 
ing him  to  one  of  the  lower  limbs  of  the  tree,  by  a  rope 
attached  to  his  wrists,  behind,  I  improved  the  opportu- 
nity in  securing  a  position  from  which  I  could  see  every 
movem.ent  of  the  posse  and  hear  the  exclamations  and 
groans  of  the  tortured  victim.  "Tortured?"  yes,  tortured, 
for,  if  it  be  not  obvious  to  the  most  casual  observer,  that, 
a  human  being,  suspended  by  a  rope  attached  to  his 
wrists  bound  behind  him,  must  suffer  excruciating  pain, 
then  let  him  try  it  for  one  minute,  as  an  experiment. 

By  reason  of  the  peculiar  posture  of  the  victim's  body, 

32 


the  brows,  with  the  perforated  paddle,  were  administered 
with  the  utmost  facility,— and  with  much  force;  which 
first  blistered  and  then  wounded  the  body,  as  I  after- 
wards ascertained,  by  going  to  the  spot  and  viewing  the 
sand,  which,  at  first,  white,  w^as  now  crimson  with  the 
blood  of  the  poor  slave,— helpless,  in  the  hands  of  his 
tormentors. 

0,  how  earnestly  I  did  plead  with  my  dear  mother,  on 
my  return  home,  to  follow  in  the  tracks  of  the  Martins, 
the  Hancocks  and  the  Stanleys,  all  of  whom  had,  re- 
cently left  their  native  "heath?"  and  gone  in  quest' of  a 
modicum  of  liberty,  into  the  great,  free  North,  East  and 
West!  However,  the  time  was  not  yet  ripe  for  this  im- 
portant undertaking,  and  we  must  needs  bide  our  time. 

The  reason  assigned  for  torturing  this  slave  man  was, 
that,  he  and  another  had  conspired  to  ''blow  up"  the 
dwelling  house  of  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  town.  The 
victim  of  the  torture  had  ''confessed"  to  placing  (like 
another  Guy  Fawkes),  a  keg  of  gunpowder  under  the  res- 
idence and  laying  a  train  for  its  explosion,  to  it;  but  no 
threats  or  tortures  could  force  him  to  incriminate  any- 
one else.  When  the  resounding  blows  of  the  instrument 
would  cause  more  blood  to  flow  from  the  wound,  he  would 
exclaim,  ''0,  Lord ! !"  Nobody  but  me  an'  Jeff ! !"  •  but  who 
^'Jeff"  was,  if,  in  very  truth,  "Jeff"  existed,  no  one  could 
find  out. 

Here,  perhaps,  is  the  place  to  give  some  account  of  the 
administration  of  justice  (?)  in  "The  Old  North  State," 
at,  that  time,  in  the  history  of  our  country. 

In  the  old  Court  House,  which  was  located  in  the 
heart  of  the  business  section  of  the  town,  was  construed 
and,  to  some  extent,  applied,  a  m.odified  form  of  the  Eng- 
lish Common  Law,  as  it  existed  before  the  days  of  Peel 
and  his  co-adjutors,  who  pulled  many  of  the  fangs  out  of 

The  Court  House  had  been  there   "from   that   time 

33 


whereof  the  memory  of  man  ran  not  to  the  contrary;" 
and  (with  all  modesty) ,  it  resembled  quite  closely  the  old 
Court  House  which  we  found  standing  in  the  southwest 
section  of  our  Public  Square,  on  our  arrival,  in  1857. 

Within  this  North  Carolina  court  house,  all  the  busi- 
ness of  Craven  county  was  transacted,  even  to  the  cast- 
ing of  ballots  for  all  officials,  from  president,  down  to  the 
least  elective  office.  To  this  temple  of  justice  (?)  trudged 
(or  stalked)  the  ''grave  and  potent"  member  of  the  bar 
and  the  honorable  Judges, — sometimes,  carrying  a  green 
bag  containing  a  volume  of  ''legal  lore," — at  other  times, 
followed  by  a  dark-hued  slave,  carrying  the  same. 

The  court  being  duly  opened,  in  a  formal  way,  by  the 
sheriff  of  the  county,  who,  generally  bearing  (not  the 
fasces,  but)  a  rod  or  pole  of  authority,  would  proceed  to 
execute  the  preliminary  orders  of  the  court.  Sometimes, 
the  Court  would  say,  "Sheriff,  call  Milly  White!"  Then 
that  august  official  would  raise  a  window,  (or  if  in  the 
summer  time,  stick  his  head  out  of  a  window)  and,  in 
stentorian  tones,  call,— Milly  White!  Milly  White!  Milly 
White!"  "0,  yes!  0,  Yes!  0,  Yes!  Come  into  Court!  Come 
into  Court!  "  etc.  Another  name  which  comes  down  to 
me,  through  the  seventy  years,  since  I  heard  it,  is  that  of 
"Irish  Jimmy!  Irish  Jimmy!  Irish  Jimmy!  0,  Yes!  0, 
Yes!  0,  Yes!  Come  into  Court!  etc."  The  0,  Yes,  0,  yes," 
is  a  corruption  of  the  old  Norman  French,  "Oyez,  Oyez — 
hear  ye,  hear  ye,  which,  for  centuries,  prevailed  in  Eng- 
lish courts  of  Common  Law,  after  the  Conquest. 

It  was  my  fortune  or  misfortune,  to  be  in  the  Court 
room,  one  morning,  when  condign  punishment  was  meted 
out  to  a  person  (v/hite)  who  had  been  convicted  of  man- 
slaughter. The  sentence  was,  that,  the  prisoner  should 
be  branded  in  his  right  hand  with  a  hot  iron,  bearing  the 
letters,  M.  S.  (signifying  manslaughter) ;  the  iron  not 
to  be  removed  until  the  prisoner  should  exclaim,  three 
times,  "God  save  the  State !  God  Save  the  State !  God  Save 

34 


the  State!"  I  watched,  almost  breathlessly,  the  Sheriff 
bind  the  right  hand  of  the  convict,  securely  to  a  small 
column  which  was  one  of  the  supports  of  the  ceiling  of  the 
court  room;  then  he  drew  from  the  stove  which  fur- 
nished warmth  to  the  room,  a  "branding  iron,"  which  was 
quite  hot.  Without  delay  or  more  ado,  the  official  pressed 
the  hot  iron  against  the  thick  portion  of  the  prisoner's 
hand; — there  was  a  sizzling  sound, — smoke  curled  up 
into  the  air,  and  there  was  a  smell  of  burning  flesh,  while 
the  convict  exclaimed  in  rapid  succession,  three  times,— 
"God  save  the  State!  God  save  the  State!  God  Save  the 
State!"  Immediately  the  iron  was  withdrawn;  and  I  de- 
parted, in  haste,  to  disclose  to  my  mother  and  sisters  the 
scene  which  I  had  witnessed. 

It  was  not  an  uncommon  sight  to  witness,  in  passing 
the  jail  yard,  a  man  standing  in  the  stocks,  with  his 
wrists  and  head  fastened  in  the  holes  of  the  same.  It  was 
fortunate  for  the  men  who  were  punished  in  the  stocks, 
that,  they  were  within  the  jail  yard,  which  had  a  fence 
around  it;  for,  the  historians  of  England  tell  us,  that,  in 
times  not  so  very  remote,  convicts,  in  the  stocks,  in  the 
City  of  London,  were  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  heartless 
mobs,  who  would  often  stone  them,  and  sometimes  pelt 
them  with  rotten  vegetables,  "over-ripe"  eggs  and  decay- 
ing cats :  to  such  an  extent  was  this  persecution  carried, 
that,  frequently,  the  victim  lost  his  life. 

All  persons  convicted  of  capital  offenses  were  exe* 
cuted  upon  gallows,  which  was  erected,  when  needed,  in 
an  old  neglected  field,  not  so  very  remote  from  our  resi- 
dence. I  saw  a  white  man,  John  Tillman,  by  name,  haled 
through  the  street  in  which  our  residence  was  located,  in 
a  tumbril  or  cart,  which  was  preceded  and  followed  by  an 
armed  guard  and  hosts  of  curious  people. 

Afterwards,  standing  at  a  respectful  distance  from  the 
gallows,  I  witnessed  the  "black  cap"  drawn  down  over 
his  face,  and  his  body  "swung  into  eternity."  The  reader 

35 


will  readily  infer,  from  what  I  have  already  written, 
that,  there  was  not  much  "going  on,"  in  that  old  town,  on 
land  or  on  water,  in  those  days,  which  I  did  not  see.  If 
there  \vas  to  be  a  sale  or  hiring  of  slaves  on  the  auction 
block,  I  was  near  at  hand,  to  note  every  word,  cry  or 
movement ;  if  any  one  was  to  be  lashed,  at  the  whipping- 
post, there  was  this  writer,  to  behold  it.  At  home,  fre- 
quently, I  would  meet  a  warm  reception  on  my  return, 
after  having  neglected  some  domestic  duty,  in  order  to 
keep  tab  on  the  varied  county  and  municipal  affairs. 

Mother  was,  at  times,  quite  severe  in  her  treatment  of 
me,  and  I  have  always  entertained  the  opinion,  that, 
from  her  lack  of  proper  educational  facilities,  she  was 
not  keen  to  discover  temperamental  differences,  and  to 
differentiate  in  the  treatment  of  persons.  Now,  mother 
was  as  cold  and  sangfroid  of  temperament  as  any  Scotch- 
man of  the  Highlands ;  and,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  she  could 
not  or  did  not  discover  that,  I  was  a  mere  little  bony 
bundle  of  nerves — that  like  my  dear  deceased  father, 
I  had  to  "do  or  die."  To  have  kept  either  of  us  still,  would 
have  entailed  upon  us,  saint-vitus  dance  or  epileptic  fits. 
All  the  boys  of  the  town  knew  me — white  and  black. 
The  white  boys  scorned  me,  because  I  was  not  white ;  and 
the  black  boys  despised  me,  because  I  was  not  entirely 
black.  They  would  '"pick"  quarrels  with  me,  and  I  would, 
with  either  my  fists  or  weapons,  defend  myself.  I  had 
no  "big  brother"  or  other  person  to  "take  my  paii:,"  and 
it  devolved  upon  me  to  "hoe  my  own  roe,"  which  I  may 
add,  in  all  truth,  I  proceeded  to  do, — to  the  best  of  my 
ability.  On  one  occasion,  a  crowd  of  white  boys  chased 
me,  like  a  pack  of  hounds,  baying  a  stag  ( ?) ;  they  did  not 
give  up  until  they  had  seen  me  enter  my  mother's  door, 
in  safety.  On  another  occasioin,  that  same  "Milly  White,'' 
a  colored  woman  of  the  town,  (whose  name  was  called  by 
the  Court  crier),  assaulted  me,  in  the  Academy  Green, 
on  my  way  homeward,  carrying  a  tray  of  sweet  potatoes 

36 


on  my  head;  it  was  not  the  first  time;  and  happening  to 
have  a  small  knife  open  in  one  of  my  hands,  I  defended 
myself,  by  letting'  her  "have  it,"  in  one  of  her  hips.  It 
was  her  last  assault  on  me.  That  was  the  nearest  I  ever 
cam.e  to  being*  arrested;  for,  she  made  complaint  against 
me  to  the  authorities,  who  sent  the  same  Town  Sergeant 
(he  was  our  police  force)  to  investigate;  he,  on  hearing 
the  statements  of  my  mother  and  myself,  said,  the  wom- 
an had  received  no  more  than  she  deserved,  and  dropped 
the  matter.  The  colored  women,  of  the  lower  class, 
seemed  to  be  piqued  at  my  mother,  because  she  had 
never  associated  with  them;  and,  even  in  her  changed 
and  humble  condition  she  carried  her  head  high,  and, 
scorned  the  association  of  all  white  or  black,  who  were 
not  congenial  or  fit. 

One  of  these  Colored  Amazons,  who  wished  to  make 
me  the  ''scapegoat,"  once  upon  a  time,  when  I  was  about 
nine  years  of  age,  got  me  cornered  in  such  a  way  that,  no 
choice  was  left  to  me  except  to  fight  or  be  soundly  beaten. 
In  that  emergency,  I  picked  up  a  stone,  closed  my  eyes, 
and,  like  another  Macduff,  'laid  on."  When  my  antagonist 
called  a  halt  and  ceased  her  struggle,  I  opened  my  eyes, 
to  find  her  pretty  thoroughly  covered  with  blood. 

This  struggle  against  great  odds,  on  my  part,  was 
viewed  by  an  old  friend  of  m.y  deceased  father,  who  de- 
clared that,  I  was  the  "worst  boy  in  town!"  a  declaration 
which  made  a  lasting  impression  on  my  mind ;  and  is  still 
ringing  in  my  ears.  I  have  often  debated  the  question, — 
"Did  Mr.  Green  state  a  fact,  or  was  he  ignorant  of  condi- 
tions and  biased,  for  some  unknown  reason,  against  me." 

What  are  the  characteristics  of  a  bad  boy?  I  assert 
after  an  experience  of  fifty  years,  as  an  attorney-at-law, 
much  of  the  time  spent  in  defending  persons  indicted  for, 
and  charged  with  felonies  and  misdemeanors, —  persons 
ranging  in  age  from  ten  years  of  age  to  old  age,  that,  to 

37 


be  a  bad  boy  or  a  bad  man,  one  must  have  an  evil-mali- 
cious heart ;  and  his  deeds  must  be  the  offsprings  of  such 
a  heart;  but  if,  on  the  contrary,  a  person's  heart  is  free 
from  "envy,  hatred,  malice  and  all  uncharitableness,"  he 
is  not,  in  any  sense,  "bad." 

I  have  known  boys  to  lie,  cheat  and  steal ;  to  delight 
in  causing  pain  and  suffering  to  both  man  and  beast.  I 
knew  a  boy,  once,  who  derived  pleasure  from  seeing  a 
chicken  suffer,  after  he  had  cut  off  its  feet.  I  saw  a  young 
southern  "blood,"  on  one  occasion  raise  his  gun  and  shoot 
to  death  a  beautiful  spaniel  dog,  his  good  friend,  because 
he  failed  to  obey  his  command,  and  come  to  him  directly ; 
and  I  personally  knew  a  young  fellow,  who  dared  his 
companion  to  place  his  wrist  on  a  block,  in  a  meat  market, 
and  when  the  youth  placed  it  there,  with  one  forceful 
stroke  of  the  cleaver,  he  severed  his  hand  from  it. 

The  foregoing  acts,  I  regard  as  being  malicious, — 
bad ;  but,  v/hat  must  be  said  of  a  boy  who  could  not  look 
at  a  wound  without  shuddering; — and  whose  every  fibre 
was  shocked  at  the  recital  of  acts  of  cruelty  and  tales  of 
woe.  True,  this  writer  was  a  "live  vvire,"  in  the  slang  of 
the  day,  and  gloried  in  being  conspicuous, — in  leading  a 
boisterous  play,  and  in  performing  deeds  which  called  for 
more  or  less  courage;  but,  it  is  not  on  record,  nor  does 
the  man  live  who  can  cite  one  instance  of  barbarity  or 
destructiveness  on  his  part:  he  confesses  to  the  indict- 
ment of  visiting,  with  another  boy,  his  senior  in  age,  Mr. 
Small  wood's  vineyard,  one  one  occasion,  and  then  and 
there,  without  permission,  indulging,  quite  generously,  in 
the  luscious  scuppernong  grapes  which  cumbered  the 
vines;  but,  this  was  an  extraordinary  proceeding,  on  his 
part ;  it  was  an  act  which  was  not  repeated ;  for,  while  the 
Vv liter  made  a  safe  and  speedy  exit,  his  companion,  who 
was  less  fleet  of  foot  and  expert  in  vaulting  fences  paid 
the  penalty  of  being  detained  by  a  viscious  dog,  until  a 
goodly  portion  of  his  trousers  had  been  sacrificed.   Hence, 

38 


I  deny  the  arraignment  of  my  father's  old  friend, — long 
since  gone  to  join  him,  in  the  gi^eat  beyond. 

Of  one  fact,  every  one  will  bear  witness, — I  was  pa- 
triotic to  a  fault,  as  the  following  anecdote  will  prove: 
On  a  certain  Fourth  of  July,  I  arose  betimes  and  hurried 
down  to  the  ''New  County  Wharf,"  to  pai-ticipate,  by 
sight  and  by  hearing,  in  the  firing  of  the  Day-break  Na- 
tional Salute,  only  to  learn  that,  there  would  be  none 
fired ;  and  that,  the  celebration  of  the  Glorious  Fourth  of 
July  would  be  duly  consummated  at  Trenton,  in  an  ad- 
joining County, — twenty  miles  distant. 

Later  on  in  the  day,  the  monotony  becoming  unbear- 
able, and  having  no  horse  and  saddle-bags,  like  another 
"John  Gilpin,''  with  which  to  ride  to  Trenton,  I  concluded 
that  I  would  walk  there.  Now,  here  is  an  exemplification 
of  one  of  the  reasons  which  actuated  the  old  gentleman  to 
dub  me  "the  worst  boy  in  town;"  for,  truly,  I  was  the 
only  boy,  of  all  that  town,  who  dared  to  walk  to  Trenton, 
after  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  to  assist  in  celebra- 
ting our  Nation's  natal  day. 

At  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  that  day, 
I  made  my  obeisance  to  sundry  musicians,  cooks  and  wait- 
ers, who  were  functioning  a  great,  patriotic  ball,  being 
given  in  honor  of  "the  day."'  I  was  tired,  dusty  and  both 
hungry  and  thirsty.  Of  course,  every  one  heard  with  as- 
tonishment of  my  adventure  and  the  successful  termina- 
tion of  it ;  but,  as  the  procession  had,  long  since  "broken 
ranks"  and  the  participants  had  betaken  them.selves  to 
the  banqueting  hall  and  ball-room  floor,  my  efforts  to 
view  the  parade  were  in  vain, — abortive ;  and  I  found  my- 
self in  a  condition  closely  allied  to  that  of  the  King  of  the 
French,  v>'ho,  with  "thirty  thousand  men,  marched  up  the 
hill  and  then  marched  down  again."  However,  the  kind 
and  sympathetic  colored  waiters  would  not  allow  the  pa- 
triotic "hero"  of  the  hour,  to  languish  and  to  stance- 
for,  they  plied  him  with  bits  of  roast-pig  and  other  deliea-^ 

S9 


cies;  not  to  mention  a  dish  of  ice  cream,  which  was,  at 
that  time,  somewhat  of  a  luxury,  and  seldom  in  evidence. 
To  express  my  unbounded  happiness,  would  require  a  pen 
more  facile  than  mine,  after  I  had  thoroughly  gorged  my- 
.seii,  and  lent  my  ear  to  the  dulcet  strains  of  the  orches- 
iL-a,  proceeding  from  the  ball-room.  Ere  long,  however, 
the  ''shades  of  night"  began  to  fall,  the  merry-m.akers, 
"by  twos,  by  fours  and  by  sixes,"  began  to  depart  for 
iheir  homes;  then  the  little  speck  of  a  cloud  in  the  dis- 
tance, which  at  an  early  hour  had  shghtly  dimmed  my 
vision,  began  to  draw  near  and  hang  over  me  in  threat- 
^alng  form;  and  ever  and  anon,  in  my  mind,  I  could  see 
the  forked  flash  and  hear  the  reverberations  of  thunder, 
ijc tokening  a  coming  storm,  on  my  arrival  home;  more- 
over, hovv^  was  I  to  get  home ;  for,  the  road  was  long,  dark 
aiid  dreary. 

Just  here,  the  kindly  fates  came  to  my  rescue;  the 
orchestra,  which  hailed  from  Newbern,  knew  m.e, — knew 
itiy  mother,  and  had  known  my  father;  and,  again,  with 
that  generous,  kindheartedness  for  which  all  colored  peo- 
ple are  noted,  they  came  to  my  assistance,  and  invited  me 
■to  return  to  my  hom.e  with  them, — in  the  ''band  wagon." 
"Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow!"    I  was 

.Aved!  Through  the  sands  and  the  intervening  forests, 
tlie  languid  horses  progressed,  until  far  after  the  break 
of  day ;  but,  finally,  they  drew  up  in  front  of  my  mother's 
fiome; — she,  standing  in  the  door,  anxious  and  doubtful, 
mo'L  soul!  not  knowing  whether  the  coming  of  that 
wagon  was,  for  her,  an  omen  of  good  or  evil  tidings ;  for, 
more  than  twenty-four  hours  had  elapsed  since  she  had 
seen  or  heard  from  me;  and  who  could  say  that,  I  was 
not  drowned  in  the  Neuse  or  Trent  river,  or  even  had 
been  kidnapped  by  vultures,  for  the  slave  market? 

"We  have  brought  your  boy  home!"  exclaimed  the 
ieader;"  and  we  charge  you  a  dollar!"      "A    dollar!!!" 

V.^e  gods!   a  dollar  from  my  poor  needy  mother,  in  1855! 

40 


How  could  she  spare  a  dollar,  as  one  of  the  results  of  a 
silly  escapade  on  the  part  of  a  wayward  boy!  *1  have 
no  dollar  for  you!"  Mother  exclaimed,  in  her  positive 
way,  that  carried  conviction  to  their  minds  and  hearts. 
Nothing  more  was  said.  I  dismounted,  and  the  team, 
with  a  steady  trot  departed;  but,  with  me,  as  I  entered 
the  gloomy  portal  of  that  home,  the  thought  uppermost 
in  my  mind,  was  that  one  which  has  vexed  the  ages, — 
"To  be  or  not  to  be!"  Am  I  to  be  threshed,  within  an  inch 
of  my  life,"  or  am  I  to  be  the  subject  of  maternal  love,  af- 
fection and  f orgivenness  ? 

The  latter  prevailed — the  weight  of  fear,  doubt,  per- 
plexity and  grief  having  been  removed  from  mother's 
shoulders  and  heart,  she  welcomed  her  erring  boy,  return- 
ing like  another  prodigal,  with  outstretched  arms,  and, 
gave  him  no  blows.  There  was  no  fatted  calf  killed  or 
suckling  pig  put  upon  the  spit.  The  remains  of  all  these 
were  left  behind  at  Trenton. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  my  readers,  to  know,  that,  in 
returning  from  Trenton,  after  midnight,  for  ten  miles, 
we  had  the  association  of  a  stalwart  slave  man,  who 
walked  by  the  side  of  our  wagon  and  engaged  in  the  con- 
versation ;  he  had  walked  to  Trenton,  ten  miles  from  the 
plantation  where  he  was  employed,  to  visit  his  slave  wife ; 
now,  he  was  returning,  walking  another  ten  miles,  so  as 
to  be  able  to  answer  the  morning  bell,  horn,  reveille,  or 
what  not.    Such  is  fate ! 

Educational  opportunities  for  colored  people,  in  any 
portion  of  the  South  were  very  poor,  as  may  well  be  imag- 
ined, when  we  reflect  on  the  fact  that,  it  was  made,  by 
law,  a  felony  to  teach  a  slave  how  to  read  and  write ;  but, 
North  Carolina  was,  perhaps,  the  least  proscriptive  of 
all  the  southern  states,  in  that  behalf;  for,  many  free 
colored  people,  especially,  in  the  eastern  cities  of  the 
state,  enjoyed  fair  educational  advantages,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances.   There  was  a  school  at  Newbern,  of  which, 

41 


the  late  John  Stuart  Stanley  was  master;  it  was  famous, 
all  over  the  state,  for  the  reason  that  Mr.  Stanley  was 
thoroughly  equipped  for  his  office. 

He  v/as  a  son  of  John  C.  Stanley,  (a  barber) ,  who.  in 
turn,  was  the  natural  son  of  that  John  Wright  Stanley, 
Son  of  the  Revolution,  mention  of  whom  is  made  in  the 
first  chapter  of  this  narrative,  and  half  brother  of  that 
John  Stanley  from  v>  horn  my  father  descended. 

John  C.  Stanley  (colored)  was  ''vrell  to  do,"  and  gave 
to  all  his  sons  and  daughters  all  the  education  that  could 
be  obtained  for  them,  at  that  place, — ''for  love  or  money" ; 
and  John  Stuart,  his  son,  was,  in  all  English  studies,  the 
peer  and,  the  superior  of  a  m.ajority  of  the  Vvhite  men  of 
that  section.  Whether  or  not  he  had  any  acquaintance 
with  the  ''dead"  languages  or  modern  tongues,  besides 
his  vernacular,  I  cannot  say,  as  I  have  never  heard  that 
phase  of  his  education  discussed. 

As  a  reader,  speller  and  penman,  he  was  not  sur- 
passed; and  in  all  the  studies,  pertaining  to  a  thorough 
English  education,  he  was  the.  equal  of  the  best. 

I  recall  that,  in  1856,  when  I  was  eleven  years  of  age, 
the  books  of  Mr.  Alexander  Mitchell,  the  leading  whole- 
sale grocer  of  the  to\\Ti  got  out  of  balance,  Mr.  Stanley 
was  employed  to  audit  them;  a  task  which,  in  a  reason- 
able time,  he  consummated,  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of 
his  employer;  after  which,  he  took  charge  of  the  ac- 
counts, until  he  left  the  state  to  take  up  his  residence  in 
the  City  of  Cleveland,  where  he  died,  many  years  ago, 
leaving  behind  him  here,  a  large,  intelligent  and  pros- 
perous family.    Mr.  Stanley  was  a  grand-good  man. 

Colored  students  came  to  Mr.  Stanley's  school  from 
all  parts  of  the  state ;  and  were  well  instructed  for  a  very 
reasonable  compensation. 

This  writer,  in  his  sixth  and  seventh  years,  was  grad- 
ually inducted  into  the  mysteries  of  Webster's  Elemcn- 

42 


tary  Spelling  Book,  which  was,  at  that  time,  in  use  all 
over  the  eastern  part  of  this  country,  and  elsewhere. 

To  the  best  of  my  memory,  Mr.  Stanley  carried  me 
through  my  A,  B,  C's,  and  my  ab's,  even  to  the  lesson  be- 
ginning with  B-a-  (ba)  k-e-r  (ker)  Baker;  after  that,  his 
good  wife,  Mrs.  Fanny  Stanley,  one  of  the  most  faithful 
and  industrious  of  wives,  and  loving  and  affectionate  of 
mothers  that  ever  lived,  took  me  in  hand.  She  had  vis- 
ited Ohio,  with  one  of  her  daughter  (Mrs.  Sarah  Stanley 
Woodward),  to  place  her  in  Oberlin  Preparatory  School, 
and  on  returning  to  her  home,  brought  with  her  a  set  of 
the  McGuffey  school  books,  than  which,  it  is  difficult  to 
imagine  better;  notwithstanding  the  numerous  changes 
which  have  taken  place,  since  their  publication. 

Seated  on  a  stool  at  her  knees,  by  the  side  of  her 
beautiful  little  daughter  (Fannie),  she  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  such  education  as  I  now  possess,  and  for  which, 
in  deep  gratitude,  I  shall  always  revere  her  name  and 
memory. 

This  branch  of  John  C.  Stanley's  descendants  was 
always  conspicuous, — noteworthy;  their  reasoning  and 
education,  even  in  that  old  slave  state,  in  the  midst  of 
a  slave  holding  community,  was  on  a  par  with  that  of 
the  "best  families"  of  the  state;  and,  in  many  respects, 
the  treatment  accorded  to  them  did  not  differentiate 
from  that  accorded  to  the'elite  of  white  people;  saving, 
only,  that,  they  were  not  accorded  domestic,  social  con- 
tact ;  which,  I  may  say,  the  Stanleys  never  sought  after ; 
since  our  colored  social  circle  m  Newberne  vras  satisfying 
and  uplifting. 

There  was  not  amongst  us  any  of  that,  squeamish- 
ness  with  respect  to  the  varying  shades  of  color;  all  that 
was  required  of  a  person  knocking  at  the  door  of  our 
social  circle  for  admittance,  was — fitness ;  my  dear  father 
who  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  colored  society,  in  the 
old  town,  always  stoutly  maintained  that,  persons  seek- 

43 


ing  association  with  others  should  be  congenial  and  mer- 
itorious; and  this  theory  was  acted  on,  until  the  emigra- 
tion of  the  families  composing  the  circle  annihilated  it. 

One  of  the  well  to  do  and  most  highly  respected  of 
the  families  which  affiliated  with  that  social  circle  was, 
Mr.  Richard  G.  Hazle,  a  man  of  pure  Negro  blood,  and  his 
family.  Mr.  Hazle  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  also 
owned  a  small  bakery,  which  was  managed  by  his  worthy 
wife  and  daughters.  One  of  his  daughters  was  a  student, 
and  graduated  from  Oberlin  College,  during  the  latter 
years  of  the  "fifties."  Color  did  not  make  the  status  of 
that  social  group; — fitness, — merit,  only;  this,  it  would 
seem,  should  be  the  criterion,  the  world  over. 

During  the  Buchanan-Fremont  campaign  for  the 
presidency,  in  1856,  the  slaveholders  became  greatly  ex- 
cited and  quite  fearful  that,  if  the  Republican  party 
elected  its  first  presidential  nominee,  their  favorite,  de- 
grading, institution  of  slavery  would  be  jeopardized;  and 
properly  so;  for,  despite  the  fact  that  their  smart  men 
in  Congress,  had  wrung  from  the  great  North,  East  and 
West  many  concessions, — such  as  the  Missouri  Compro- 
mise,— The  Fugitive  Slave  Law  and  the  *'Dred-Scott  De- 
cision," it  was  easily  apparent  that,  the  *Twin  relic  of 
barbarism"  was  doomed;  and  that  with  the  enlisting  of 
men,  drilling  of  soldiers,  searching  of  colored  residencces 
for  firearms,  and  cruelly  whipping  the  owner,  v/hen  an  old 
fowling-piece"  was  found,  a  reign  of  terror  seemed  im- 
minent. 

Thereupon,  a  majority  of  self-respecting  colored 
families,  in  all  parts  of  the  South  began  to  "sell  out,  pack 
up  and  get  out,"  while,  as  one  expressed  it,  "the  getting 
was  good."  This  was  especially  true  as  regarded  the  col- 
ored families,  long  resident  in  old  Newbern ;  they  "stayed 
not  on  their  going,"  but,  sold  their  possessions  and  went 
— some  to  New  York,  some  to  Philadelphia,  a  few  to  Bos- 
ton and  New  Haven;  but  the  majority  to  Cleveland  and 

44 


Oberlin,  Ohio;  whence,  they  began,  without  delay,  to 
write  persuasive  letters,  to  the  dear  ones  left  behind,  ex- 
horting them  to  follow  their  example. 

My  dear  mother  was  persuaded,  by  the  late  John 
Patterson  of  Oberlin,  Ohio,  to  sell  her  little  home  and 
come,  with  her  children,  to  a  ''land  of  freedom." 

The  fact  that  mother  feared  that  I  would,  later  on, 
in  life,  leave  her  there,  as  her  elder  brother,  William 
Chestnut,  had  left  his  mother  and  settled  in  Terre  Haute, 
Indiana,  in  1835,  whither  he  had  ridden  "on  a  little  clay 
colored  mare,"  had  much  to  do  with  influencing  her  to 
follow  Mr.  Patterson's  advice;  but,  especially,  the  petty 
persecutions  and  insults  she  was  constantly  subjected  to 
by  her  crude  neighbors,  fully  determined  her  to  take  the 
step. 

As  an  indication  of  the  extent  to  which  she  was  sub- 
jected to  these  petty  annoyances,  I  will  here  record  the 
true  story  of  the  treatment  of  our  game  old  rooster, — 
**01d  Dick,"  which  I  have  often  related  in  my  talks  to 
children,  as  an  example  of  "nil  desperandum." — never 
give  up — never  despair. 

My  mother,  in  addition  to  her  helpful  garden,  had  a 
few  chickens,  amongst  them  was  a  game  rooster  of  the 
genus  now  denominated  Rhode  Island  Red,  We  called 
him,  "Old  Dick,"  for,  we  found  him  on  the  premises  when 
we  moved  in,  five  years  prior  to  the  incident  I  am  about 
to  relate.  Others  of  our  neighbors  also,  owned  roosters, 
of  which  they  were  proud,  and  in  behalf  of  which  they 
were  ready  to  contend. 

Aunt  Betsy  York  was  one  of  these;  and,  since  her 
"bird,"  as  ours,  each,  metaphorically,  carried  a  "chip  on 
his  shoulder,"  and  frequently  contended  for  the  mastery, 
but  with  varying  success,  Aunt  Betsy  looked  with  much 
disfavor  on  Old  Dick,  and  vowed  vengeance  on  his  head 
or  body. 

One  morning,  mother,  in  the  usual  trend  of  her  ma- 

45 


t^raal  duties  went  to  the  door  with  some  corn  and  other 
feed  for  the  chickens,  and  began  to  call  them  up. 
''Chickee !  Chickee ! !  Chickee ! ! !  she  called.  All  answered 
by  putting  in  appearance,  except  Old  Dick;  again  and 
again,  she  reiterated  the  call;  but  no  Old  Dick  answered 
it,  in  any  manner. 

''John,"  said  mother,  go  look  for  our  rooster;  I  am 
afraid  something  has  happened  to  him!"  "As  swift  as 
the  wing  of  the  swallow,"  I  was  out,  in  quest  of  our  treas- 
ured bird,  scanning  his  usual  haunts,  peeping  underneath 
the  neighboring  cottages  (all  of  which  were  supported  by 
blocks — (underpinning),  and  making  frequent  inquiries 
of  persons  in  the  vicinity,  gave  no  clue  as  to  his  where- 
abouts ;  finally,  I  looked  into  a  tar-barrel,  on  the  premises 
of  Aunt  Betsy,  which  was  partially  filled  with  pine  tar, 
and  there,  to  my  amazement  and  sorrow,  I  found  the 
game  and  courageous  old  rooster, — submerged  as  to  his 
whole  body,  excepting  his  head  and  neck,  and  gasping  for 
breath. 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  me  to  write  this,  I  had  ex- 
tricated him  and  was  speeding  to  my  mother's  home,  a 
few  doors  distant.  There,  we  laid  him  on  the  ground, 
and  carefully  examined  him, — diagnosed  his  case, — which 
disclosed  the  fact  that,  his  bill  was  cut  off,  to  the  quick, 
likewise  his  wing  feathers  and  his  spurs.  His  feathers, 
of  course,  were  thoroughly  saturated  with  the  sticky  tar, 
all  of  which  left  him  in  such  a  deplorable  condition  that, 
we  despaired  of  his  life. 

However,  that  Scotch,  English,  African  blood  which 
animated  my  undaunted  mother's  being,  was  equal  to  the 
emergency,  "nil  desperandum,  never  give  up, — despair 
as  to  nothing — w^as  her  motto,  and  she  immediately  set 
to  work  to  save  the  life  of  her  truly  game  bird. 

His  bill  being  severed,  almost  to  his  head,  it  was  im- 
possible for  him  to  pick  up  corn  or  any  other  kind  of 
chicken  food;  so,  she  made  a  ball  of  dough  out  of  corn- 

46 


meal,  and  placed  it  before  him;  he  ate  of  it  (bit  it  up) 
voraciously,  until  he  was  satiated;  then,  he  helped  him- 
self to  water,  as  best  he  could,  from  a  pan,  set  before  him ; 
thus,  day  by  day,  his  needs  were  met  and  supplied. 

The  next  question  was,  how  to  divest  him  of  his  thick 
coat  of  tar;  this  was  done  by  giving  him  daily  baths  in 
warm  "pot-liquor" — the  liquor  left  in  the  pot,  after  boil- 
ing fat  pork  and  collards  in  it — it  was  covered  with 
grease,  and  was  warm. 

"Dick"  enjoyed  these  baths,  very  much;  and,  ere 
long,  the  bill  grew  out  again  (just  as  a  finger  nail  will 
grow  out,  again),  the  spurs  were  as  long,  sharp  and 
menacing  as  of  yore,  and  instead  of  close  cropped  wings, 
old  chanticleer  disported  himself  in  a  new  suit  of  feath- 
ers, all  over  his  body,  and  crowed  as  lustily  as  ever.  He 
was  "on  the  job"  for  all  comers,  and  when,  a  year  later 
on,  we  sold  him  to  another,  he  was  treasured  as  a  "fight- 
ing bird|,"  ready  to  m.eet  all. 

Another  source  of  great  annoyance  to  my  mother,  at 
this  time,  were  the  raids  of  the  patrols,  who  were  con- 
stantly visiting  residence  sections  of  the  colored  people, 
in  quest  of  fire-arms,  and  "war  munitions,"  mentioned  by 
me  in  the  first  chapter;  they  were  respecters  of  no  per- 
sons of  color;  and  had  no  regard  for  time  or  conditions. 

In  the  course  of  their  rounds,  they  visited  our  home ; 
late  one  night  I  answered  the  summons  on  our  front 
door.    They  unceremoniously  entered — 

"Not  the  least  obeisance  made  they, 
Not  a  moment  stopped  or  stayed  they;" 

But,  unceremoniously,  they  began  to  rummage  the  draw- 
ers of  the  side-board  and  bureau.  Their  first  exclamation, 
in  beholding  this  writer,  who  wore  a  suit  of  homemade 
pajamas,  was:  "Hello!  what  a  pretty  boy!  Who  lives 
here?"  I  told  them  it  was  the  home  of  Mrs.  Green — the 
widow  of  the  late  John  R.  Green!  "Well,  come  on  boys!" 

47 


one  of  them  exclaimed;  ''she's  all  right!"  and  they  took 
their  departure. 

Our  rest  was  frequently  broken  by  the  bleating  of 
goats  which  wandered  into  the  old  "grave-yard,"  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  street ;  they  would  thrust  their  heads 
through  the  interstices  of  iron  fences  surrounding  some 
of  the  burial  lots,  and  nibble  the  grass  which  gi'ew  green 
on  and  between  the  graves  enclosed. 

Both  before  and  after  midnight,  they  would  make  the 
welkin  resound  with  their  pitiful  b-a-a-a! — b-a-a-a!  as 
their  "fluked"  horns  would  prevent  them  from  withdraw- 
ing their  heads ;  they  were  thus  caught  and  held  as  firm- 
ly as  if  they  had  been  behind  prison  bars.  "John!" 
Mother  would  exclaim;  "I  can't  sleep,  for  that  noise;  get 
up  and  go  into  the  grave-yard,  and  release  that  goat!" 

Without  any  hesitation,  I  would  slip  on  my  trousers, 
— run  across  the  street,  vault  the  board-fence  and  follow 
the  sound,  amongst  the  graves  and  tombs  in  the  almost 
pitch  darkness,  until  I  found  the  animal;  when,  having 
extricated  him,  I  would  wend  my  way  back  again,  safe 
and  sound.  There  were  slave  m.en  and  women  in  that 
town,  who  declared,  in  my  presence,  that,  not  for  their 
liberty  would  they  perform  that  feat;  so  thoroughly,  at 
that  time  and  place,  were  they  saturated  with  a  super- 
stitious fear  of  "ghosts."  We  should  rejoice  to  know 
that,  the  light  of  reason,  and  educational  facilities,  now 
within  the  grasp  of  many  of  the  children  of  those  poor 
deluded  people,  is  rapidly  banishing  this  and  kindred  su- 
perstitions from  their  life  and  mind. 

The  foregoing  and  many  other  annoyances  to  which 
mother  was  constantly  subjected,  finally  induced  her  to 
listen  to  the  persuasive  appeals  of  Mr.  Patterson  and 
others  of  her  former  friends  who  had  gone  from  com- 
parative darkness  into  the  light  of  liberty  and  justice. 

Some  of  her  friends,  of  both  races,  endeavored  to  dis- 
suade her  from  the  act;  but,  once  having  given  her  ear 

48 


to  the  siren  voice,  she  was  determined  to  depait  with  her 
little  ones,  in  search  of  a  new  home, — the  land  of  oppor- 
tunity,— not  only  for  herself,  but  for  her  whole  family. 
In  this  frame  of  mind,  she  requested  "Little  Auntie"  to 
ask  Judge  Donald,  the  son-in-law,  of  that  deceased  Gov- 
ernor Richard  Dobbs  Speight,  to  whom  my  deceased 
father  had  paid  the  one  thousand  dollars,  mentioned  in 
the  first  chapter,  for  the  bare  privilege  of  ^'calling  his 
life  his  own," — if  he  would  contribute  a  small  sum, 
towards  the  expenses  of  our  journey;  he  promptly  an- 
swered, "No,"  and  sent  this  message  to  my  mother: 
"you  had  better  remain  here,  amongst  your  friends." 

Mr.  "Jim"  Green  and  "Ben"  came  ai'ound  and  crated 
the  household  effects,  which  had  not  been  "auctioned" 
off;  the  premises  were  sold  to  the  trustees  of  the  ceme- 
tery, to  be  included,  at  a  later  day,  in  the  "grave-yard" 
when  the  time  was  ripe  for  its  extension;  and  then,  we 
were  ready,  without  caiTying  the  Neuse  and  Trent  rivers 
with  us  (as  my  father  had  suggested),  to  exclaim  in 
poetic  phrase, 

"My  native   land,   good  night!" 

In  leaving  this  shelter  which  for  seven  long  yeai^s  had 
been  a  "snug  harbor"  from  the  sun's  scorching  rays  and 
winter's  stormy  blasts,  my  dear  mother  was  leaning  on 
faith,  and  trusting  in  God.  Her  constant  motto  and  solace 
was : 

"Trust  in  the  Lord  and  do  good;  so  shalt  thou  dwell 
in  the  land,  and  verily  be  fed;"  nor  did  she,  during  her 
long  life,  confide  in  it,  in  vain. 

The  manner  in  wliich  mother  came  into  the  posses- 
sion of  this  rude  shelter  is  woithy  of  note,  and  goes  far 
towards  proving,  that,  there  are  still  in  our  midst  men 
and  women  who  are  true  and  worthy  of  all  confidence 
and  trust. 

49 


When  father  saw  the  inevitable, — that  the  last  ves- 
tige  of  his  property  would  be  taken  from  him,  to  satisfy 
the  demands  of  his  inexorable  creditors,  before  it  was  too 
late,  he  deeded  this  little  cottage  to  a  colored  friend  of 
his,  Shade  Green,  by  name.  After  the  deluge,  while  he 
was  reposing  in  his  grave,  Shade  Green,  this  honest,  gen- 
erous friend,  deeded  the  property  to  my  mother,  and  the 
facts  in  the  transaction  were  never  questioned,  in  court 
at  least.  Had  the  property  been  of  more  value  an  investi- 
gation, perhaps,  would  have  taken  place,  and  a  court  of 
equity  might  have  annulled  the  two  transactions  (for  the 
want  of  any  consideration)  for  the  benefit  of  creditors. 
However,  as  the  sale  of  the  premises  only  brought  to  her 
the  sum  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  (225)  dollars,  in- 
cluding some  substantial  improvements  which  had  been 
added  to  the  house,  it  can  be  seen  that,  to  the  average 
business  man,  the  place  was  well  nigh  negligible. 

This  Shade  Green  was  a  man  of  means,  an^  well  re- 
puted in  the  community  where  he  lived ;  he  possessed  on 
his  premises  a  well  of  crystal  water  with  a  pump  extend- 
ing into  it.  This  water  which  was  used,  gratis,  by  every 
one,  within  half  a  mile,  who  thirsted  for  it,  was,  to  make 
us^e  of  a  homely  expression,  indulged  in  by  one  who  knew, 
— '*as  cool  as  the  polar  bear."  He  left  a  numerous  prog- 
eny, one  of  whom,  Mrs.  Hattie  Price,  has  from  child- 
hood, been  a  resident  of  this  city  (Cleveland,  Ohio),  and 
a  most  excellent  teacher,  in  our  mixed  schools,  for  many 
years. 

The  adieus  and  farewells  were  all  said,  the  crates  and 
pei*sonal  luggage  were  all  safely  transferred  to  the  hold 
and  state-room  of  the  good  ship  Laura  Johnson,  and  now, 
nothing,  remained  for  us  to  do,  save  to  take  ship  our- 
selves ;  this,  in  the  afternoon  of  the  twenty-fourth  day  of 
June,  A.  D.  1857,  we  did. 

The  ship  lay  at  anchor  in  the  offing,  partially  loaded, 
for  it  was  at  "low  tide;"  her  "yawl"  boat  came  along-side 

50 


of  the  dock  and  received  us;  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  we 
were  snugly  ensconced  on  the  single  deck  of  the  staunch 
schooner,  casting  long  lingering  glances  back  upon  our 
former  home, — by  none  except  this  writer  ever  perhaps, 
to  be  seen  again. 


Si 


CHAPTER  III. 

BITTER-SWEET. 

"Twilight  and  evening  star,  and  after  that,  the  dark, 

And  let  there  be  no  sadness  of  farewell,  when  I  embark; 

For  tho  from  out  our  bourne  of  time  and  pla^e,  the  tide  may  bear 

— me  far, 
I  hope  to  see  my  Pilot  face  to  face,  when  I  have  crossed  the  bar." 

At  the  time  referred  to,  in  the  last  chapter,  1857,  no 
ships  or  other  "vessels,"  as  we  called  all  sea-going  craft, 
drawing  more  than  about  twelve  feet,  which  visited  New- 
bem,  could  enter  our  port;  and,  as  there  was  a  "bar"  in 
the  sound,  which  every  ship  was  obliged  to  cross,  either 
coming  or  going,  it  was  necessary  that  our  good  schooner 
Laura  Johnson,  should  be  "lightered  over  the  "bar;" 
that  is  to  say,  a  small  vessel,  denominated  a  "lighter," 
carrying  her  deck  load,  should  accompany  her  over  the 
bar,  and  transfer  the  same  (her  load)  to  her  deck.  This 
occupied,  at  least,  a  day,  at  that  time,  and  afforded  such 
of  the  passengers  as  inclined,  an  opportunity  of  visiting 
some  of  the  small  rocky  islands  which  line  the  coast,  in 
that  vicinity,  on  which  very  many  aquatic  fowls  were  ac- 
customed to  lay  their  eggs  and  hatch  out  their  young. 

On  this  occasion,  two  of  the  vessel's  crew  and  several 
of  the  passengers,  including  my  elder  sistei",  took  advan- 
tage of  the  invitation,  and  went  "ashore,"  returning,  aft- 
er an  absence  of  several  hours,  witli  a  goodly  quantity  of 
€ggs,  which  the  cook  prei)ared  and  sei'\^ed  for  us.    I  am 

5« 


not  certain  that,  at  this  writing,  I  should  care  to  indulge 
in  the  eating  of  those  eggs,  for,  I  was  in  profound  igno- 
rance as  to  the  kind  or  species  of  birds  that  laid  them,  or 
the  length  of  time  they  had  lain  amongst  the  rocks,  be- 
fore they  were  gathered  and  served  to  us.  Of  one  thing 
I  am  sure,  the  flavor  which  remained  in  my  mouth  after 
partaking  of  them,  was  not  reassuring. 

Without  wearying  the  reader  with  the  details  of  this 
sea-voyage,  which  ''skirted  the  coast  of  North  Carolina 
and  Maryland,"  until  we  sailed,  serenely,  up  New  York 
Bay  and  lay  at  anchor  snugly  in  the  Harbor,  on  the 
Brooklyn  side,  I  will  remark,  that,  at  times,  especially 
when,  we  were  doubling  Cape  Hatteras,  the  so-called 
''dread  of  seamen,"  we  had  excitement  enough  for  the 
most  exacting.  The  monster  waves  (billows)  piled  up  like 
Ossa  on  Pelion ;  in  poetic  phrase : 

"Heav'd  on  Olympus  tott'ring  Ossa  stood; 
On  Ossa,  Pelion  nods  with  all  his  wood." 

Since  then,  I  have  crossed  the  Atlantic  Ocean  eight 
times ;  but,  nothing  within  my  own  personal  experiences, 
has  equaled  what  I  then  endured: — tumbled  out  of  my 
berth,  upon  my  head,  with  part  of  our  luggage  upon  me! 
"Cabin'd  and  cribb'd,  for  days,  within  our  "state 
room,"  not  very  stately,  at  that;  terriiied,  when  the  bil- 
lows, mountain  high,  threatened  to  engulf  us;  and  when 
our  little  two-masted  schooner,  like  a  cockle-shell,  hung 
trembling  on  the  crest  of  a  mighty  wave,  I,  for  one,  im- 
agined that  my  end  had  come;  and  could  not,  with  the  un- 
happy Moor,  say: 

"If  after  every  tempest  come  such  calms, 
May  the  winds  blow  till  they  have  waken'd  death! 
And  let  the  labouring  ba^rk  climb  hills  of  seas, 
Olympus  high;  and  duck  again  as  low 
As  hell's  from  heaven!" 

One  thing  interested  me  very  much  even  amid  the 

i3 


thundering  of  the  billows  and  the  stndent  sounds  of  the 
winds,  playing  amongst  the  rigging;  that,  was  the  cap- 
tain, when,  in  stentorian  tones,  he  gave  his  commands  to 
the  helmsman,  at  the  wheel,  which  enabled  our  sturdy 
bark  to  dodge  the  dangers  and  weather  the  gale,  none 
the  worse,  apparently,  for  her  perilous  voyage. 

When  an  extra  heavy  wave  came  thundering  toward 
us,  our  captain  would  shout,  ''Right  about!"  and  then, 
after  the  imminence  of  the  danger  had  passed,  his  voice 
would  ring  out,— ''A  hard  lay!"  and  so,  time  and  again, 
he  would  exert  his  authority  and  skill,  until,  after  hours, 
which  seemed  days,  we  were  sailing, — gliding  over  com- 
paratively smooth  seas,  toward  our  sure  haven  of  rest. 

Who,  now  living,  can  vividly  recall  before  their  minds 
the  appearance  of  "Little  Old  New  York,"  in  1857,— 
sixty-three  years  ago?  w^hen,  by  the  latest  census,  she 
contained  within  her  walls,  about  four  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  souls!  A  few  less  than  half  the  number  now 
credited  to  the  great  City  of  Cleveland!  Who  can  picture 
the  appearance  of  her  forest  of  masts,  and  complexity  of 
the  spars  and  riggings,  like  the  ''tangles  of  Neaera's 
hair,"  as  one  surveyed  her  spacious  harbor,  in  those  early 
days?  Vastly  changed.  I  think,  from  their  appearance  in 
1837,  when  my  dear  father  visited  that  city,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  buying  a  stock  of  goods;  yet,  0,  how  different 
than  she  is  today  I 

It  was  in  the  early  morning  of  July  third  when  our 
ship  was  moored  to  her  Brooklyn  dock,  near  Washington 
street,  only  a  few  rods  distant  from  the  Brooklyn  end  of 
the  first  great  suspension  bridge.  Within  the  present 
decade,  I  have  looked  down  from  the  great  bridge  and 
seen  the  identical  little  house  in  which  we  spent  our  first 
night  in  that  great  city. 

Nor  can  I  ever  forget  the  following  day,  the  first 
Fourth  of  July  I  had  ever  spent  in  a  northern  city.  What 
we  saw  and  what  we  heard.  }x)th  by  day  and  by  night, 


54 


almost  s tallies  me,  even  now.  Imagine  then,  if  you  can, 
what  an  impression  was  made  on  my  mind,  when  I  was 
only  twelve  yea;:s  of  age — the  first  Fourth  of  July  cele- 
bration I  had  enjoyed  outside  of  my  little  native  town,  ex- 
cepting only  the  time  when  I  ran  away  from  my  home  and 
walked  twenty  miles  to  the  village  of  Trenton,  to  ''hear 
the  Eagle  scream ;"  and  then,  neither  saw  nor  heai'd  him ; 
saw  and  ate  fat  pig,  instead,  and  heard  the  dulcet  notes  of 
the  violin  and  the  cornet. 

Before  leaving  my  southern  home,  my  dear  mother 
gave  me  a  half  dollar!!!  "John,"  she  said,  ''you  are  a  big 
eater;  now,  when  we  get  to  New  York,  if  we  are  invited 
out  to  dinner,  by  any  of  our  old  friends,  don't  try  to  eat 
everything  on  the  table ;  eat  a  reasonable  amount,  and  if 
you  are  not  satisfied,  go  out  and  buy  a  little  something, 
to  piece  it  out ;  but  make  this  half  dollar  go  as  far  as  you 
can." 

I  fear  my  dear,  good  mother  lost  sight  of  the  fact 
that,  I  was,  after  all,  only  a  patriotic  little  boy,  as  the 
sequel  proved:  for,  before  the  glare  of  the  rockets  and 
Roman  candles  became  evident,  at  the  setting  of  the  sun, 
I  had  invested  every  cent  of  that  half  dollar  in  a  little 
brass  pistol  and  suitable  ammunition  for  it !  Could  I  have 
made  better  use  of  it?  Could  I  ever,  have  bought  more 
happiness,  in  one  day,  with  it  ?  I  think  not ;  and  although 
the  error  of  my  conduct  was  called,  forcibly,  to  my  atten- 
tion, at  times,  during  many  succeeding  years,  yet,  I  am 
free  to  say  I  have  never  regretted  my  conduct,  in  that 
behalf;  for,  it  stimulated  my  love  for  my  country  and  her 
glorious  flag,  which  is  the  only  one  which  shelters  and 
protects  us,  at  home  or  abroad,  by  viitue  of  our  consti- 
tution and  laws. 

The  next  day  was  Sunday,  if  I  mistake  not ;  and  my 
baby  sister  seven  years  of  age,  and  I  attended  a  Sunday 
school,  in  the  neighborhood.  It  was  the  first  time  in  the 
Ufe  of  either  of  us,  that  we  had  ever  been    seated    with 

5$ 


white  children!  O,  how  happy  we  were!  and  how  lustily 
we  did  sing,  for  the  first  time,  those  dear  little  nursery 
hvmns : 


"Little  drops  of  water, 
Little  grains  of  sand,"    etc. 

and  that  other  one : 

"I  want  to  be  an  angel  and  with  the  angels  stand; 
A  crown  upon  my  forehead,  a  hai-p  within  my  hand." 

This  was  the  beginning,  only,  of  \vhat  was  to  follow, 
in  our  little  far  away  Ohio  home. 

"Eye  had  not  seen,  ear  had  not  heard,"  neither  had 
it  entered  into  our  infantile  hearts,  the  joys  that  were 
laid  up  for  us,  in  the  not  distant  future. 

The  pleasure  derived  from  our  brief  sojourn  in  New 
York,  was  greatly  intensified  by  the  association  of  some 
of  our  old  Newbem  friends,  one  of  whom  had  been  a 
fellow-member  with  my  father,  of  Christ  Episcopal 
Church,  down  there.  He  guided  us  through  the  labaryn- 
thine  streets,  pointed  out  to  us  objects  of  interest  and 
explained  them  to  us;  and  when  our  crated  goods  were 
released  from  the  hold  of  the  good  ship  Laura  Johnson, 
he  kindly  saw  that  they  were  shipped  on  one  of  the  canal 
boats  of  tl\e  Erie  Canal,  en  route  to  Cleveland.  His  name 
was  Mr.  Richard  W.  Hancock,  a  skilled  carpenter  and 
builder,  who  had  planned  and  constructed  some  of  the 
most  ornate  buildings  in  our  home  town,  before  he  de- 
'^erted  it. 

Mr.  Hancock  was  the  only  tyler,  of  a  white  Masonic 
lodge,  in  a  slave  state,  that  I  have  ever  heard  of  or  seen, 
marching,  with  drawn  sword,  at  the  head  of  a  white  Ma- 
sonic procession.  Where  he  was  made  or  how  he  won  rec- 
ognition in  that  town,  twenty  years  before  the  Civil  War, 
is  more  than  I  can  explain ;  and  what  makes  his  treatment 

56 


the  more  remarkable,  lies  in  the  fact  that,  though  not  a 
pure  blooded  Negio,  yet  his  color  was  pronounced — 
unmistakable. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  6th  of  July,  1857,  accompa- 
nied and  assisted  by  our  worthy  friend,  Mr.  Hancock,  we 
boarded  a  "day  car,"  of  the  Erie  Railway  Company,  and, 
our  adieus  having  been  said,  we  were  on  our  way  to  Dun- 
kirk, the  western  terminus  of  that  railroad,  at  that  time. 
I  say,  we  boarded  a  "day  car:"  yes;  for,  to  the  best  of  my 
memory  and  information,  there  were  no  sleeping  cars  in 
existence,  at  that  time.  That  there  were  no  Wagner,  Pull- 
man or  Doubleday  cars  on  that  or  any  other  line,  I  am 
quite  certain;  and  persons  wishing  to  dine  accommodated 
themselves  from  the  hampers  which  they  carried  with 
them;  and  as  for  sleeping,  they  were  restricted  to  "doub- 
ling up"  on  a  seat,  or  disposing  their  bodies  in  the  next 
most  convenient  manner. 

We  must  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that,  not  only  the 
Erie,  but  most  of  the  other  railroads  in  this  country  were, 
at  that  time,  of  recent  or  comparatively  recent  construc- 
tion; and  as  a  direct  result  of  that  fact,  the  roadbeds 
v;ere  very  poorly  ballasted,  or  not  at  all. 

On  the  Erie  road,  the  riding  was  rough.  There  were 
sections  of  that  thoroughfare,  so  rough  that,  one  would, 
almost  imagine  himself  riding  in  a  stage  coach;  the  rails 
were  light,  the  springs  were  poor,  and  the  couplings  be- 
tween the  cars  were  so  very  loose  and  insecure,  that, 
smooth,  easy  riding  was  out  of  the  question. 

Estimated  the  distance  between  New  York  and  Cleve- 
land, by  that  route,  to  have  been  six  hundred  miles,  we 
maintained  an  average  speed  of  about  twenty-five  miles 
an  hour;  for,  we  were  just  twenty-four  hours  in  reaching 
our  destination. 

However,  the  whole  trip  was  crammed  full  of  pleas- 
ure, for  this  writer,  whatever  may  be  said  as  to  the  other 
members  of  our  party:  and  when,  at  about  five  o'clock  p. 

57 


m,  on  the  7th  day  of  July,  1857,  our  train  drew  into  the 
first  "Union  depot,"  years  before  our  present  "Old  Union 
Depot,"  was  considered  or  planned,  our  joy  exceeded  ex- 
pression. At  last,  thank  God,  we  were  on  Ohio  soil!  Fi- 
nally, we  were  in  the  beautiful  "Forest  City"  of  Cleveland, 
with  its  population  of  36,000  souls,— its  grand  Public 
Square  and  its  long,  broad  ornate  streets,  cool  and  re- 
freshing to  look  upon. 

The  "bluff"  was  high  and  steep,  at  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  what  is  now  West  Ninth  Street  (then  called 
Water  Street) ;  and,  years  afterwards,  it  took  a  deal  of 
grading  to  reduce  it  to  its  present  form.  As  we  reached 
the  summit  of  the  "bluff,"  there  w^ere  two  objects  quite 
conspicuous,  which  are  no  longer  in  existence.  On  the 
right,  a  few  rods  distant,  stood  the  Government  Light 
House,  commanding  a  view  of  Lake  Erie,  for  many  miles 
out,  while  on  the  left  hand  side  Bethel  Church  raised  its 
spire  gloriously,  in  the  air. 

It  was  warm  and  very  dusty.  The  lake  breeze,  then, 
as  now,  to  some  extent,  was,  continually  in  motion,  and 
raised  the  dust  from  the  unpaved  streets,  to  the  great 
discomfort  of  all  pedestrians;  but,  even  then,  the  young 
people  were  in  numerous  instances,  out  on  the  cui*b3 
sprinkling  the  streets,  since  the  water  works  had,  for  a 
year  or  more  been  established,  and  was  coming,  gi'adual- 
ly,  into  use. 

Superior  Street,  from  the  Public  Square  to  West 
Ninth  Street  was  covered  with  boards  and  on  the  South 
side  of  that  chief  business  thoroughfare,  from  the 
"square"  to  Bank  Street  (W.  6th  St.),  the  buildings  were, 
principally,  of  wood.  The  Public  Square  was  enclosed 
with  a  sort  of  fence,  on  all  four  sides,  while  the  interior 
was  cai-peted  with  green  lawns,  and  shaded  by  beautiful 
elm  and  maple  trees. 

The  south-western  section  of  the  Public  Square,  con- 
tained a  little  antiquated  Court  House,  which  reminded 

5S 


me,  sti-ongly,  of  the  old  Court  House  which  we  had  left 
behind,  in  Newberne.  I  could  go  on  and  mention  many 
of  the  structures  existing  in  Cleveland  at  that  time,  but 
a  mere  enumeration  of  them  would  tire  the  reader,  I  fear. 

Mr.  Freeman  H.  Morris,  one  of  the  most  intelligent, 
conservative  and  genteel  colored  men  then  residing  in 
Cleveland  or  elsewhere,  in  the  United  States,  was  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  tailoring  establishment,  under  the  Bennet 
House,  a  hotel,  subsequently  enlarged  and  christened,  the 
Forest  City  House.  On  the  opposite  corner,  where  now  is 
located  Marshall's  Drug  Store,  was  located  Rouse  Block, 
built  and  owned  by  "Deacon"  Rouse,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  of  the  pioneers  of  this  city.  Rouse  Block  was, 
for  its  day,  large  and  ornamental,  and  was  greatly  ad- 
mired by  its  owner  and  community,  in  general. 

There  was  one  theatre  in  the  city, — The  Academy  of 
Music,  of  which  the  late  John  A.  Ellsler  was  the  pro- 
prietor. He  maintained  a  '"Stock  Company,"  of  which  he 
was  the  leading  "star."  Mrs.  Effie  Ellsler,  his  wife,  and 
mother  of  the  younger  Effie  Ellsler  (who  was  then  a 
baby),  was  the  leading  lady;  there  was  a  "Tragedian,'*  of 
much  merit,  by  the  name  of  McCullough;  James  Lewis, 
inimitable  comedian,  and  Miss  Anna  Dickinson  (?) 
soubrette.  It  was,  with  other  characters,  a  good  com- 
pany; and  played,  regularly,  for  the  entertainment  and 
instruction  of  this  community. 

Occasionally,  during  the  "season,"  great  "stars," 
would  visit  the  city  and  entertain  the  habitues  and  others 
of  that  theatre.  I  remember  well,  The  Marble  Heart,  in 
the  production  of  which  the  late  J.  Wilkes  Booth  (assassin 
of  President  Lincoln)  was  the  star  attraction ;  also  Edwin 
Booth,  Couldock,  Sothem  (father  of  E.  H.  Sothem) ,  now 
prominent  as  our  interpreter  of  some  of  Shakespeare's 
plays, — and  many  others. 

The  old  building,  transposed,  still  occupies  its  orig- 
inal site,  in  W.  6th  street,  contiguous,  to  the  old  Kennard 

69 


House — then  called  the  Angier  House.  The  auditor- 
ium of  the  theatre,  was  on  momentous  occasions,  boarded 
over  and  used  for  balls,  given  in  honor  of  distinguished 
personages ;  it  was  the  largest  public  auditorium  then  at 
the  command  of  the  citizens  of  Cleveland. 

Melodeon  Hall,  was  another  hall,  provided  with  a 
stage  and  scenery;  it  was  located  on  the  present  site  of 
Mr.  Jacob  B.  Perkins'  big  building,  the  Wiltshire,  on  the 
north  side  of  Superior  Street,  near  West  Third  Street.  It 
is  the  building,  used  for  a  post-office  while  the  present 
post-office  was  in  course  of  construction.  There  was  also 
another  hall, — a  small  one,  in  a  building  located  on  the 
present  site  of  the  Williamson  Building,  called,  at  one 
time,  Garret's  Hall,  and  another,  on  the  top  floor  of  a 
building  which  stood  where  the  American  Trust  Building 
is  now  located,  Chase  Hall. 

There  were  no  places  of  business  on  either  Superior 
Street  or  Euclid  Avenue,  east  of  the  Public  Square;  and 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Public  Square,  the  entire  space 
was  filled  with  ornate  residences.  Prospect  Street, 
ranked  second  in  importance,  as  a  residence  street,  and 
Woodland  Avenue,  third.  There  were  also  beautiful 
residences  on  Lake  and  St.  Clair  Avenue,  up  to  Erie  St. 
(now  E.  9th  and  also  on  Ontario  St.,  from  the  Public 
Square  to  the  lake.) 

There  was  a  pontoon-bridge  spanning  the  river  at  the 
foot  of  W.  3d  Street  (Seneca  Street),  and  a  ferry  estab- 
lished, to  transport  persons  across  the  river,  at  the  foot 
of  Superior  Street  hill. 

The  Old  Stone  Church  stood,  like  a  grim  sentinel, 
where  it  stands  today;  the  tall  spire  had,  recently,  been 
destroyed  by  fire;  it  has  never  been  replaced.  On  the  cor- 
ner of  East  Fourth  (Sheriff)  Street  and  Euclid  Avenue, 
stood  Saint  Paul's  Episcopal  Church,  and  in  Superior 
Street,  between  the  Public  Square  and  East  6th  Street 
(Bond  Street)  were  located  both  Trinity  Cathedral  and 

60 


tlie  Second  Presbyterian  Church.  The  Second  Baptist 
Church,  now  denominated,  '^Rockefeller's  Church,"  was 
then  located  on  the  northeast  corner  of  East  Ninth 
Street  (Erie  Street)  and  Central  Avenue  (Ohio  Street). 
To  the  north  of  Ohio  Street,  and  on  the  southside  of  the 
cemetery,  was  a  broad  space  of  land  whereon  the  County 
Fair,  was  held,  that  year.  Miss  Lucy  Wightman,  the 
beautiful  and  accomplished  daughter  of  the  late  David 
L.  Wightman,  one  time  Sheriff  of  Cuyahoga  County, 
Ohio,  carried  away  the  prize  as  the  most  skilful  eques- 
trienne of  all  those  who  contended  for  it. 

The  Central  High  School  building  was  located  where 
the  Citizen's  Loan  and  Trust  Company's  building  now 
stands,  in  Euclid  Avenue,  near  E.  9th  Street;  while  the 
First  Baptist  Church  (which  had  formerly  occupied  a 
building  at  the  corner  of  Champlain  Avenue  and  W.  3rd 
Street) ,  was  then  located  on  the  present  site  of  the  Hickox 
Building,  N.  W.  comer  of  Euclid  Avenue  and  E.  9th 
Street. 

There  was  a  pretty  little  park,  located  on  the  bluff 
overlooking  the  lake,  at  the  foot  of  what  is  now  E.  17th 
Street,  called,  ''Clinton  Park,"  there  is  now,  little  or  no 
reminder  of  the  fact  that  it  ever  existed.  This  was  at  a 
time,  anterior  to  the  establishment  of  Lake  View  Park, 
when  the  side  of  thehill  between  Lakeside  Avenue  and 
the  railroad  tracks,  v/as  covered  with  little  "Irish  shan- 
ties." It  is  a  curious  commentary  on  our  ephemeral  ex- 
istence,  that,  both  the  shanties  and  the  park,  have,  al- 
ready jrielded  to  the  march  of  events. 

Much  could  be  said  of  the  lire  department,  of  which 
we  (I  say  we  advisededly)  drew  to  the  occasional  fires, 
with  our  hands,  the  engines  and  trucks,  and  pumped  with 
the  same  power;  it  was  a  slow,  laborious  process,  and, 
often,  quite  uncertain;  but,  it  was  better  than  none;  as 
well  as  a  source  of  much  recreation. 

It  was  mid-summer,  and  time  was  winging  his  flight ; 

61 


it  is  a  true  saying — eternally  true,  that,  time  and  tide 
wait  for  no  man,"  and  this  writer,  was  not  using  it  wise- 
ly ;  on  the  contrary,  he  was  "scouring"  the  city  and  its 
environs,  with  no  useful  employment  (not  even  the 
wood-pile)  to  occupy  his  time,  at  the  imminent  risk  of 
<retting  into  trouble;  and,  it  was  easily  evident  that,  my 
mother  must  place  me  under  the  guardian  care  and  pro- 
tection of  someone  who  would  curb  and  restrain  me,  tem- 
porarily, at  least. 

After  mature  reflection  and  much  anxiety,  she  finally, 
determined  to  take  me  to  Oberlon,  Ohio,  and  give  me  to 
that  Mr.  John  Patterson,  for  whom  my  father  named 
me ;  and,  on  the  following  day,  we  found  a  hearty  welcome 
in  the  home  of  that  man  to  whom,  of  all  other  persons, 
were  indebted  for  our  presence  in  Oberlin  at  that  time. 

After  refreshment,  mother  "opened  up"  the  subject 
foremost  in  her  mind,  and  disclosed  to  Mr.  Patterson 
the  object  of  her  visit  to  Oberlin, —  to  place  in  his  custody 
her  only  son,  as  an  apprentice,  to  be  taught  his  trade, 
— ^that  of  a  brick-layer  and  plasterer. 

Now,  Mr.  Patterson  already  had,  "on  his  hands,"  sev- 
eral husky  boys,  for  whom  he  could  hardly  find  employ- 
ment; and,  he  frankly  stated  his  inability  to  emptoy 
another  boy,  for  any  purpose.  Moreover,  he  said,  his 
calling  required  a  boy  in  his  "teens," — strong  and  heavy; 
while  I  was  thin  and  weak,  for  a  lad  of  twelve  years  of 
age ;  for  whom,  he  could  find  no  employment. 

Under  the  circumstances,  he  advised  my  mother  to 
go  to  the  husband  of  one  of  her  relatives,  Mr.  John  H. 
Scott, — hamessmaker,  saddler  and  trunkmaker, — 
who,  he  thought,  could  teach  me  one  or  more  of  his 
trades,  which  did  not  call  for  gieat  size  or  robust  strength. 

This  proposition  seemed  quite  promising  to  Mother, 
who,  indeed,  was  grasping  at  any  temporaiy  straw,  in 
that  behalf;  and  she  "stayed  not  on  her  going,"  but  went, 
without  delay. 

«2 


"Cousin  Celia  Scott,"  the  kindly,  lovable  spouse  of 
John  H.  Scott,  received  me  joyously;  and,  encouraged, 
promoted  the  plan  of  taking  me  into  her  household,  en- 
thusiastically;  and,  "to  make  a  long  story  short,"  an  oral 
agreement  was  made  between  Mr.  Scott  and  my  mother 
by  the  terms  of  which,  I  was  to  enter  his  employment, 
as  an  apprentice,  and  remain  with  him  until  I  attained  to 
my  twenty-first  year.  Mr.  Scott  agreed  to  treat  me  as 
his  own  child,—- to  feed  me  at  his  own  table,  clothe  me 
and  give  me  a  little  education.  I  am  not  sure  as  to  this 
last  condition  of  the  contract ;  but,  since  both  my  mother 
and  Mr.  Scott  had  been  denied  an  education,  I  infer  the 
intention  was  that  I  should  Itave  some  opportunities,  at 
least,  along  that  line. 

In  pursuance  of  this  very  reasonable  agreement,  I 
entered  Mr.  Scott's  employ,  and  became  a  part  of  his 
household,  all  of  whom,  excepting  Mr.  Scott,  were  related 
to  me,  by  ties  of  blood;  and,  without  delay,  he  set  me  to 
work,  making  straps  with  buckles  sewed  on  one  end  of 
them,  and  other  small,  preliminary  work,  not  forgetting 
to  teach  me  how  to  milk  a  cow  which  gave  several  gal- 
lons of  milk,  and  fetch  water  in  a  bucket  from  a  neighbor- 
ing pump,  for  washing  purposes, — and  for  cooling-off  a 
great  p<^er,  which  weighed  between  four  and  five  hun- 
dred pounds,  and  suffered  much,  by  reason  of  July  heat. 

Another  duty,  which  was  quite  pleasing  to  me,  was  to 
carry  a  basket  of  fruit  to  the  rail-way  station  (at  least 
once  each  day),  and  offer  it  for  sale  to  passengers,  en 
route,  on  the  train. 

I  tried  to  milk  that  cow;  but,  "honor  bright,"  it  was, 
for  me,  the  most  onerous  task  I  had  ever  undertaken^ 
not  excepting  that  done  on  the  "wood  pile."  I  did  not  have 
sufficient  strength  in  my  wrists!  and,  tiy  as  I  would,  I 
invariably  "botched"  the  job,— as  I  can  now  see. 

On  one  occasion,  after  I  had  milked  several  quarts 
into  the  pail,  "bossie"  put  one  of  her  feet  into  it;  and  on 


withdrawing  it,  she  left  in  the  pail  a  small  lump  of  clay ; 
Vv^hich  had  been  sticking  to  it.  I  clutched  the  clay  and 
threw  it  out  of  the  pail ;  but,  not  before  it  had  been  dis- 
solved, more  or  less,  and  left  a  thich  sediment  on  the 
bottom. 

Reason  and  the  dictates  of  honesty  told  me  to  empty 
out  of  the  pail  that  polluted  milk,  and  finish  milking; 
but,  I  was  too  timid  and  fearful  of  Mr.  Scott,  whose  com- 
manding figure  and  black,  eagle-eyes,  at  that  period  of 
his  life,  almost  made  me  tremble.  I  should  have  stated, 
at  the  outset,  that,  m.other,  in  taking  leave  of  me,  after 
she  had  given  me  to  Mr.  Scott,  said,  "Mr.  Scott,  John  is 
a  bad  boy;  and,  you  must  whip  him!"  A  remark  which  to 
this  day,  sixty-three  years  since  it  vwis  uttered,  still  rings 
in  my  ears! 

So,  I  carried  the  milk  into  the  house — mud  and  all — . 
It  vras  noticed  that,  I  did  not  drink  any  of  it;  but,  this 
did  not  call  forth  any  special  comment,  until  the  bottom 
of  the  crock  was  reached;  when,  lo,  and  behold!  a  sedi- 
ment of  clay,  unmistakable.  *'Ah  ha!*'  exclaimed  Mr. 
Scott.  "Now,  I  know  why  you  have  not  drunk  any  milk, 
today.  I  thought  it  was  funny  you  were  not  drinking 
any  milk  to-day!  Now%  I  know  the  reason  why!  Here- 
after, Sir,  you  have  got  to  drink  some  of  eveiy  milking!" 
I  may  add,  he  was  "as  good  as  his  w^ord,"  and  during  the 
remainder  of  my  sojourn  with  him,  I  was  i*equired  to, 
at  least,  "sample"  the  result  of  my  milkings. 

And  so,  the  time  wore  on.  My  mother's  cousin,  Mrs. 
Scott,  was  kind  and  affectionate  towards  me;  and,  at 
times,  when  her  husband  seemed  rather  severe  in  his 
dealings  with  me,  she  expostulated  with  him.  She  also, 
had  me  scinib  the  kitchen  floor  for  her,  occasionally;  for 
which  she,  invariably,  gave  me  a  dime  or  fifteen  cents: 
v^hich,  I  religously  saved,  in  order  that  I  might  accumu- 
late a  fund  sufficient  to  pay  my  fare  to  Cleveland  and 
retuni,  when  I  made  a  promised  visit  to  my  nK)ther,  on 

64 


the  15th  of  September,  my  elder  sister's  19th  birthday. 

In  the  latter  part  of  August,  there  came  to  Oberlin 
a  train-load  of  boys  and  girls,  on  a  picnic  excision.  They 
were  Sunday-school  pupils  from  that  same  Bethel  church, 
of  which  I  have  spoken,  heretofore.  Mr.  Scott  permitted 
me  to  go  into  the  grove  and  commingle  with  the  children ; 
but,  of  course,  he  expected  me  to  return  home  in  time  to 
milk  the  cow.  However,  my  nostalgia — homesickness, 
was  so  great  that,  I  could  not  withstand  the  temptation 
to  visit  my  people;  and  when  the  train  returned  to 
Cleveland,  I  Vv^as  one  of  the  youthful  excursionists. 

On  reaching  Cleveland,  I  went,  as  the  "crow  flies," 
to  my  mother's  home,  two  miles  distant,  at  the  corner  of 
Pine  and  Hudson  (now  E  30th  streets.  There  were  no 
street-cars  in  those  days,  or  any  other  means  of  reaching 
there,  save  walking. 

Mother  and  sisters  were  surprised  and  overjoyed  to 
see  me,  and  covered  me  with  caresses;  but  mother  was, 
quite  naturally,  apprehensive,  that  I  would  have  trouble 
with  Mr.  Scott,  on  my  return.  As  to  this,  she  was  quite 
right,"  for  tho  I  stowed  away  in  an  oil  closet,  on  a 
freight-train,  and  returned  to  Oberlin  by  midnight  of  the 
same  day,  he  declared,  he  would  have  "tanned  my  hide," 
if  I  had  not  carried  a  letter  to  him  from  my  mother  re- 
questing him  to  pardon  this  offense.  At  the  same  time, 
he  warned  me  not  to  repeat  the  act;  a  warning  which, 
had  I  been  wise,  I  would  have  heeded. 

However,  young  lads,  at  the  age  of  twelve  years,  are 
not,  as  a  rule,  "wise  and  prudent ;"  especially  if,  as  in  my 
ease,  they  have  spent  their  whole  life  roaming  amidst 
the  "pines  and  sands"  of  North  Carolina,  without  the 
friendly  advice  and  guidance  of  a  loving  father;  and, 
with  none,  or  very  poor  examples,  sJfet  beforeftiim,  in  his 
daily  walk  of  life. 

In  the  course  of  a  week  or  two,  Henry  0.  Patterson, 
a  foster  son  of  that  John  Patterson  for  whom    I    was 

65 


named, — a  boy  older  and  more  experienced  than  I,  per- 
suaded me  to  "jump"  a  freight  car  with  him  and  make  a 
"flying"  trip,  to  Cleveland  and  return;  and  I,  having  been 
so  successful  in  escaping  punishment  in  the  first  instance, 
fell  an  easy  victim  to  his  wiles. 

The  trip  outward  was  easily  and  successfully  nego- 
tiated, without  mishap  of  any  sort ;  and  we  passed  a  very 
pleasant  afternoon,  in  perambulating  the  marts  of  trade 
and  the  beautifully  shaded  boulevards  of  the  Forest  City. 
Also,  we  experienced  no  difficulty  in  snugly  ensconcing 
ourselves  in  an  oil  closet  of  a  freight  car,  en  route  to 
Oberlin,  at  midnight  of  the  same  day;  but,  alas!  and 
alack!  when  we  reached  Elyria,  some  eight  miles  from 
our  destination, — to  our  unspeakable  suiprise,  we  were 
discovered  and  rudely  accosted,  by  a  gruff  and  heartless 
brakeman,  who  flashed  his  light  in  our  faces,  and,  in  very 
plain  English,  told  us  to  get  off  our  perch,  and  leave  the 
car. 

''What  was  done,  what  to  do,  a  glance  told  us  both," 
and  we  easily  recognized  that  we  were  "up  against  a  con- 
dition,"— no  theory;  so,  without  parleying,  we  jumped 
off, — into  the  *'outer  darkness;"  for,  it  seemed  to  be  the 
darkest  night  we  had  ever  seen. 

Henry  0.,  thoroughly  frightened  and  less  daring 
than  this  writer,  stayed  off, — walked  the  remainder  of 
the  distance,  and  put  in  his  appearance,  at  home,  early 
in  the  following  morning:  but  the  writer  hereof,  ven- 
turesome as  ever,  vaulted  onto  a  platform  car,  piled  high 
with  lumber,  reached  home,  and  was  sound  asleep,  in  the 
arms  of  moii)heus,  at  about  one  o'clock  A.  M. 

To  my  surprise  and  horror,  at  about  five  o'clock,  in 
the  same  morning,  Mr.  Scott — master,  entered  my  bed- 
room, carrying  in  his  strong  right  hand  a  leather  strap, 
resembling  very  closely  those  which  I  had  been  engaged 
in  manufacturing  ;~threw  back  the  bed-clothing,  with 
which  I  was  covered,  and  proceeded  to  give  me    one  of 

66 


those  ''tannings/  with  which  he  had  threatened  me  be- 
fore ;  for,  in  this  instance,  I  did  not  return  to  him,  armed 
with  a  suppUcating  letter,  from  my  mother. 

Suffice  it  to  state,  that,  upon  the  conclusion  of  his 
"tanning"  process,  and  for  several  days  thereafter,  my 
tawny,  hide  presented  an  appearance  more  resembling 
that  of  a  zebra  than  of  a  human  being;  and,  smarting 
from  the  unmerciful  cstigation  I  had  resolved  to  quit  Mr. 
Scott,  forever;  even  tho,  in  attempting  escape,  I  should 
imperil  or  even,  lose  my  life. 

"Jacta  est  aha!"  the  die  was  cast;  the  handwriting 
was  on  the  wall ;  and  from  that  moment,  it  was  absolutely 
beyond  the  power  of  my  cruel  mster  to  retain  me  in  his 
employ;  unless,  indeed,  he  schackled,  hobbled  or  impris- 
oned me;  which,  of  course,  in  Oberlin,  at  that  time,  was 
"out  of  the  question." 

The  reader  must  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that,  at 
that  time,  I  weighed  exactly  fifty  pounds!  I  am,  con- 
strained to  confess,  that,  in  my  opinion,  I  deserved  some 
punishment  for  my  misconduct,  in  the  premises;  but, 
without  brutality  and  heartlessness. 

During  the  ensuing  week,  never  did  the  fates  weave 
a  web,  with  more  precision  and  certainty  than  did  I,  in 
my  determination  to  make  my  escape  from  Mr.  Scott. 
The  opportunity  came,  as  I  supposed,  in  the  afternoon  of 
the  following  Sunday;  when,  I  erroniously,  judged  that 
he  and  his  guest,  (a  "Mr.  Smith" — fugitive  slave),  were 
conversing  together  in  the  parlor.  Tying  up  in  a  hand- 
kerchief my  little  belongings,  I  made  a  rush,  out  of  the 
back  door  for  the  garden.  ''John!"  a  voice  rang  in  my 
ears,  "where  are  you  going  to?"  If  a  clap  of  thunder," 
out  of  a  cloudless  sky",  had  saluted  me,  I  would  not  have 
been  more  surprised  or  shocked,  than  when  I  heard  that 
voice.  Turning  and  looking  upwards,  I  beheld  my  bete 
noir,  with  his  fugitive  guest,  sitting  at  the  rear  window, 
upstairs.  Then,  indeed,  I  "stayed  not  on  the  order  of  my 

67 


going,"  I  flew;  bundle  discarded,  I  ran  with  might 
and  main,  in  the  direction  of  the  little  cemetery,  then  in 
the  heart  of  the  town,  pursued  by  Mr.  Scott  and  the 
other  person. 

Backwards  and  forwards  and  crosswise,  the  chase 
held  its  course,  with  the  quarry  gradually  widening  the 
space  between  himself  and  his  pursuers ;  until,  the  writer, 
seeing  the  futility  of  running  in  a  circle,  at  length,  made 
for  the  track  of  the  Lake  Shore  Railroad,  and  pitched  his 
trend  in  the  direction  of  Cleveland,— thirty-three  miles 
away,  with  Elyria  intervening, — eight  miles  distant. 

It  was  a  hot  September  day,  never  to  be  forgotten, 
by  me;  my  thirst  was  great,  but  my  fear  and  excitement 
was  greater.  Mile  after  mile  we  sped,  my  pursuers  grad- 
ually narrowing  the  space  between  us ;  my  tongue  almost, 
literally,  hung  out  of  my  mouth,  and  my  heart  beat  like 
that  of  a  doe  pursued  and  bayed  by  the  hunter  and  his 
hounds. 

At  a  distance  of  about  five  miles  from  Oberlin,  I 
suddenly,  darted  from  the  "direct  forthright",  and  quick- 
ly concealed  my  poor  dying  forai,  amidst  the  underbrush. 
They  searched  for  me,  in  vain.  They  could  not  find  me. 
Reluctantly,  they  gave  up  the  chase, — faced  homeward, 
on  the  railroad  track,  and  began  their  retreat.  Unfortu- 
nately, inexperienced  and  excited  as  I  was,  I  resumed  my 
progress,  on  the  track  too,  thinking  that,  he  had  aband- 
oned the  pursuit; — the  space  between  us,  now,  being  so 
great.  Not  so:  for,  turning  and  getting  a  glimpse  of  my 
form,  they  renewed  the  pursuit ;  and,  gaining  on  me  (for 
I  was  now  afflicted  with  serious  rectal  trouble,  so  great 
had  been  the  strain),  I  again  concealed  myself  in  the 
undergrowth  of  a  neighboring  wood. 

Again,  they  were  thwarted  in  their  efforts  to  find 
me;  but,  at  the  moment  when  they  had  decided  to 
abandon  the  quest,  the  little  dog  which  accompanied 
them,  a  pet  of  mine,  scented  me  and  began  to  bark  and 

68 


play  with  me.  ''The  jig  was  up!"  I  was  seized,  undressed 
tied,  as  to  my  hands,  and  cruelly  whipped  with  switches, 
cut  in  the  woods,  until  my  little,  thin  body  was  well  cov- 
ered with  purple  welts.  My  pockets  were  searched,  and 
all  the  earnings  which  I  had  received  from  my  dear 
cousin  Celia,  for  scrubbing  the  kitchen,  taken  from  me; 
so,  that,  as  Mr.  Scott  declared,  I  could  not  pay  my  fare 
to  my  home  and  friends. 

Then,  I  was  compelled  to  promise,  that,  never  again 
would  I  attempt  to  leave  his  home  and  employ ;  the  white 
fugitive  slave  looking  on  the  while,  but  uttering  no  word 
of  protest. 

Slowly, — painfully,  I  v/ended  my  way  back  to  Oberlin 
— a  forlorn, — woe-begone  little  boy.  I  wondered,  could 
my  Father  look  down  from  heaven  upon  his  poor  child, 
whose  birth  was  hailed  with  acclaims  of  joy  and  satis- 
faction, as  being  the  only  son!  Was  this  then,  all  the  re- 
sult of  his  strenuous  life,  in  behalf  of  his  family  and 
humanity!  Such  is  life!" 

The  next  day,  I  was  lowered  into  a  rain-water  cistern, 
to  assist  in  cleaning  it  out.  The  water  was  cold  and  I  was 
sick,  hardly  able  to  stand  without  support;  but,  that 
same  kind  Providence  which — 

"Tempers  the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb," 

was  by  my  side,  supporting  and  encouraging  me.  Was 
my  spirit  broken?  Had  the  Stanley-Chestnutt  blood 
quailed  before  that  of  another?  Never!  Young  as  I  was, 
it  was  another  case  of — 

"Lay  on  Macduff! 

And  damned  be  he  who  first  cries, 
Hold,  enough!" 

NOTE — Such  of  my  relations  of  African  descent  as  I  had  met  or 
heard  of,  were  persons  of  mild,  gentle  dispositions,  on  the  fe- 
male side;  the  men,  I  did  not  know. 


For  a  full  week  after  this  toiture,  I  was  not  allowed 
to  peddle  fniit  at  the  railway  station.  I  was  "cabin'd 
and  cribbed,"  watched, — spied  on,  lest  I  should  break  my 
word  and  take  'Trench  leave,"  again.  However,  on  one 
fine  September  afternoon,  Mr.  Scott  said,  "John:  if  1 
give  you  a  basket  of  apples,  do  you  think  you  can  go  to 
the  station  and  sell  'em  and  come  back  all  right?"  I 
said,  "Yes".  "Well,  go  on,"  he  repHed,  an'  see  to  it  that 
you  behave  yourself  an'  get  back  on  time!" 

With  the  basket,  filled  with  golden  fruit,  I  sallied 
forth,  to  the  station.  Ere  long,  the  fast  express  train 
flew  in,  "Thunder  Bolt,"  they  called  it,  and  all  was 
bustle  and  excitement;  but,  to  the  quiet  observer  there 
appeared  the  vision  of  a  little  clay-colored  boy,  quietly 
tucking  himself  away,  beneath  one  of  those  passenger 
cars, — on  the  brake-beam,  to  be  exact,  hugging  some  por- 
tion of  the  tmck,  while  he  inclined  his  head  forward,  to 
escape  the  floor  of  the  car,  above  him. 

The  bell  rang!  the  whistle  gave  a  toot!  and  slowly, 
that  great  modern  miracle — that '  locomotive  puffed  its 
way  forward,  drawing  after  it  the  seii)entine  train, 
filled  with  living,  breathing  human-beings,  and, — a  boy, 
— underneath!  Remember,  0  reader,  this  was  in  Sep- 
tember, 1857,  sixty-three  years  ago,  when  that  rail- 
road was  -in  swaddling  clothes;  when  the  track  was 
new  and  well-nigh  without  ballast,  and  the  springs  were 
crudely  made  and  insufficient  for  the  strain  placed  upon 
them.    Was  I  the  first  to  make  the  venture? 

At  first  I  was  in  glee,  over  the  thought  that,  I  had 
finally,  eluded  Mr.  Scott ;  that  no  speed  on  his  part,  could 
now  overtake  me;  and  that,  in  an  hour,  I  would  be,  once 
more,  under  the  same  roof  with  my  mother  and  sisters! 
However,  a  rapid  change  came  over  my  mind,  and  terror 
seized  upon  me,  as  darkness  almost  Egyptian  enveloped 
me! 

Dust!  Dust!  Dust!  in  my  eyes,  in  my    nostrils    and 

70 


even  my  mouth,  when  I  opened  it  to  prevent  suffocation! 
Upon  my  head,  I  wore  a  soft  green  felt  (?)  hat,  which, 
from  long  use,  had  become  peaked.  I  snatched  it  off,  and, 
while  I  clung  to  a  rod  with  one  hand,  with  the  other,  I 
fanned,  for  dear  life  in  the  vicinity  of  my  nose.  My  first 
thought  was  to  try  to  jump  from  under  the  car;  but, 
my  judgment  told  me  that  I  would  be  cut  in  two,  should 
I  attempt  to  do  so. 

In  the  course  of  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  the  speed  of 
the  ''Cannon  Ball'  was  so  swift,  that,  the  dust  was  drawn 
through  by  the  current  of  air,  and  no  longer  menaced 
me;  but,  now,  another  danger,  as  serious,  perhaps,  as  the 
first,  succeeded  to  it ; — the  speed  of  the  train  was,  such, 
that  the  car  under  which  I  was  located  began  to  bound 
and  rebound,  threatening  every  instant,  to  fracture  my 
skull,  or  at  least,  to  stun  me,  which  would  have  meant 
speedy  and  certain  death.  In  this  emergency,  I  bent  my- 
self almost  double,  in  order  to  clear  my  head  from  the 
bottom  of  the  car,  in  which  I  was  successful,  until  the 
train  reached  Elyria;  when,  I  crawled  out  and  climbed 
into  the  car.  The  conductor  who  was  on  the  platfonn,  at 
the  time,  did  not  notice  me  until  the  train  was  in  motion 
again ;  but,  meanwhile,  I  was  the  cynosure  of  all  the  eyes 
ki  that  car.  I  had  the  appearance  of  an  animated  statue 
carved  out  of  clay. 

"Where  did  you  come  from!"  exclaimed  the  conduc- 
tor." "From  under  the  c-a-r!"  I  squeaked,  in  return. 

'Trom  under  the  car!"  he  repeated.  'Well,  I  am  late, 
or  I  would  stop  and  put  you  off!"  This  time,  again,  the 
fates  were  with  me ;  and  I  remained,  huddled  in  a  corner, 
until  the  joyful  sound,  "Cleveland!!"  inspired  me  with 
new  life  and  activity. 

"Send  him  back",  Mr.  Scott  wrote  to  my  mother,  "and 
I  will  make  a  man  of  him!" — a  feat  of  which  he  boasted 
in  after  yearsj  but,  after  mature   reflection,   it  was   de^ 


71 


cided  that  I  should  remain  at  home  and  go  to  school;  a 
fact  which  filled  me  with  joy,  beyond  description. 

I  will  say  here  and  now,  that,  for  many  years,  I 
have  entertained  no  hatred  or  malice  against  Mr.  Scott  by 
reason  of  his  treatment  of  me.  His  was  a  hard  school, 
and  he  acted  according  to  his  ])est  lights.  During  the  six 
weeks  I  was  in  his  care,  custody  and  control,  he  fed  me 
v/ell, — gave  me  a  pair  of  shoes,  allowed  me  to  attend  the 
picnic,  and  seated  me  at  the  table  to  dine  with  himself 
and  family;  very  considerate,  indeed;  but  he  was  too 
harsh,  severe  and  cruel,  to  manage  a  mere  child.  I  will 
add,  that,  in  after  years,  Mr.  Scott,  v/as  frequently,  my 
guest,  and  I  his ;  and,  further,  that,  I  wrote  his  obituary, 
after  his  death;  which  w^as  in  accordance  with  the  Latin 
maxim — ''De  mortuo  dice  ml  nisi  bonum" — say  nothing 
of  the  dead  except  good. 

If  what  I  have  written  in  the  foregoing  seems  to  im- 
ply bitterness  and  hatred,  or  a  stern  regret  for  having 
been  apprenticed  to  Mr.  Scott,  at  that  time  and  place, 
let  it  be  known  that,  I  consider  the  experiences  which, 
even  at  that  tender  age,  I  passed  through  in  dear  old 
Oberlin,  out-weighjk,  in  pleasure  and  profit,  all  the  disap- 
pointments, and  trial  which  fell  to  my  lot,  and  which  were 
due,  in  part,  to  my  intractable  disposition. 

Had  I  never  spent  those  six  weeks  in  Oberlin  in  1857 
when  the  town  was  just  twenty-four  years  of  age,  I 
would  not  be  able  to  carry  to  my  grave  with  me  the  re- 
mem.brance  of  the  great  Rev.  Charles  Finney,  as  he  ap- 
peared in  the  pulpit  of  the  'Tirst  Church."  The  music 
vof  his  sweet  sounding,  earnest  voice  w^ould  not  now  be 
ringing  in  my  ears  as  I  heard  it,  when,  in  those  days,  he 
paced  that  pulpit  and  contended  for,  human  liberty, — 
women's  rights,  temperate  Christian  lives,  and  all  that 
make  for  civilization  and  ultimate  salvation.  I  would 
never  have  seen,  perchance  Father  Keep,  Professors 
^.lonroe,  Shurtliff,  Fairchild,  Peck,  Morgan,  and  others, 

72 


who  did  so  much  to  place  Oberlin  on  the  proud  pedestal 
where  she  stands  today .  I  would  not  have  met  the  late 
John  Patterson,  for  whom  I  was  named,— who  wrote  to 
my  dear  mother  those  persuasive  letters  which  eventua- 
ted in  bringing  her  with  her  little  brood  to  the  city  of 
Cleveland;  nor  could  I  now,  at  this  late  day,  refer  back 
to  those  early  days,  when  old  Tappan  hall  stood,  still 
majestic,  when  old  Chapel  was  still  in  its  glory,  and 
the  music  of  the  board-walks  added  zest  to  the  move- 
ments of  the  early  students. 

These  and  many  other  characteristics  of  Oberlin, 
sixty-three  years  ago  pass  in  pamoramic  review  before 
my  mind— a  rich  legacy  of  those  early  times,  which  I 
would  not  exchange  for  gold  or  silver  or  precious  stones. 


73 


.  CHAPTER  IV. 

MAYFLOWER    COMMON   AND   SUNDAY   SCHOOLS 
AND  TROY  HILL. 

"Well,"  said  my  mother,  one  morning,  after  I  had 
been  at  home  long  enough  to  regain  my  composure,  "if 
you  will  not  work,  you  must  go  to  school.  I  am  not  a 
going  to  allow  you  to  run  the  streets!"  She  could  not 
have  pleased  me  more  than  she  did,  by  that  declaration; 
for,  I  had,  already,  become  aware  of  the  fact  that,  all 
the  boys  with  whom  I  had  made  acquaintance,  were 
school  boys ;  and  I  long'd  to  be  one  of  their  number. 

So,  early  on  one  "September  Mom,"  with  face 
wreathed  in  smiles,  and  hopes  beating  high,  I  sallied 
forth,  with  the  "gang,"  and,  in  the  course  of  fifteen 
minutes,  I  stood  in  the  august  presence  of  Miss  Sarah 
A.  Nelson,  teacher  in  the  "Intermediate  Department,  for 
boys,  of  the  Mayflower  School,  situated  in  Orange  Street, 
nearly  opposite  the  south  end  of  Hudson  Street,  now  E. 
30th  street. 

The  principal  of  Mayflower  School,  at  that  time,  was 
Mr.  Edwin  R.  Perkins,  a  young  gentleman,  recently  grad* 
uated  from  Dartmouth  College,  —to  the  best  of  my 
memory,  for  whom  the  fates  were,  even  then,  spinning 
the  thread  of  a  long  and  useful  life,  which  he  so  richly 
merited.  As  a  teacher,  he  was  learned,  enthusiastic, 
and  ambitious ;  he  was  one  of  those  whose  very  presence 
inspired  and  energised  for  the  accomplishment  of  worthy 


deeds,  and  his  long  and  glorious  achievements  along  fi- 
nancial, commercial  and  social  lines,  attest  all  that  I  have 
said,  in  the  foregoing. 

A  good  spanking,  which  he  administered  to  me,  when 
I  was  in  the  second  year  of  attendance,  at  that  now  fa- 
mous school,  did  somewhat,  I  believe,  to  open  my  eyes  to 
the  verities  of  this  life,  and  to  start  me  in  the  right  way 
to  meet  them. 

Amongst  the  others  of  the  teachers  there,  at  that 
time,  may  be  mentioned  the  widow  of  the  late  E.  R. 
Perkins,  who  was  his  efficient  assistant ;  also,  Miss  Laura 
C.  Spellman,  subsequently,  Mrs.  John  D.  Rockefeller; 
Miss  Leonard,  afterward,  Mrs.  Norton,  Mrs.  Eliza  Brins- 
made,  a  sister  of  the  late  Colonel  Allen  T.  Brinsmade; 
Miss  White,  Miss  Johnson,  and  last,  but  not  least.  Miss 
Sarah  A.  Nelson,  subsequently,  Mrs.  Rude,  of  Calispal 
(?)  Minn. 

I  had  no  books,  for  the  intermediate  grade,  or  any 
other  grade,  for  that  matter.  Mother  told  me  to  tell  Miss 
Nelson  that,  she  had  no  money  to  buy  me  books  with; 
which  I  did,  and  Miss  Nelson,  from  some  source  unknown 
to  me,  pixjcured  a  set  of  used  books,  and  gave  them  to  me. 

That  grade  was,  then,  the  next  grade  below  the 
''Grammar"  grade,  over  which  the  principal  presided; 
and  I  was  ambitious,  as  ever,  to  get  passed  into  the 
grammar  grade.  As  a  result,  I  was  a  hard  student  and 
an  apt  pupil.  Miss  Nelson  said  to  mother,  "John  is  one  of 
my  smartest  pupils,  and — the  worst." 

In  very  truth,  I  was  the  incarnation  of  mischief ;  but, 
as  I  view  the  condition,  from  this  distance,  it  was  my  all 
consuming  desire  to  be  spectacular,  which  lay  at  the 
bottom  of  my  misbehavior — for,  in  playing  ''twenty", 
which  carried  us  over  hill  and  dale  and,  frequently  far 
away  from  the  school  building, — distributing  bits  of 
paper  in  our  course,  and  in  running,  jumping  and  other 
athletic  spoi-ts,  it  was  ever  my  desire  to  be    foremost; 

75 


and,  whether  I  accomplished  it  or  not,  I  laid  aside  every 
weight,  and  strove,  right  manfully,  for  success.  I  was 
always  anxious  to  perform  some  feat  which  no  other  boy 
would  dare  to  do,  so  as  to  be  talked  about.  In  fact,  it 
was  true,  as  was  said  of  me,  by  a  distinguished  gentleman 
later  on  in  life,  when  he  characterized  me  as,  *'a  bom 
actor,"  and  I  could  only  yield  to  the  natural  impulse  to 
act,  "show  off",  as  my  mother  denominated  it. 

Along  this  line,  let  this  one  incident  be  recorded:  I 
had  been  misbehaving  myself  in  some  silly  way, — making 
grimaces,  passing  notes,  whispering,  or  doing  some  other 
act  contrary  to  the  rules  of  the  school.  And  it  was  as  the 
laws  of  the  Medes  and  the  Persians  that,  at  the  recess, 
I  would  come  in  contact  with  the  black  ebony  or  ligum 
vitae  instrument  of  torture  which  our  teacher  was  ac- 
customed to  wield  in  the  "torture  chamber."  So,  I  watched 
my  chance  to  defer  the  punishment,  as  long  as  possible. 

The  opportunity  came  when  Miss  Nelson  stepped  out 
of  the  room,  for  some  purpose;  then,  regardless  of  life 
or  limb,  and  in  defiance  of  all  rules  and  reason,  I  climbed 
out  of  a  second-story  window,  grasped  the  convenient 
lightning-rod,  and  slid  down  to  the  ground! 

The  sequel  can  be  imagined,  when  next  I  made  my 
appearance  in  that  school ;  for  I  received  not  only  the  de- 
ferred punishment;  but,  with  compound  interest*.  How- 
ever, in  one  respect,  I  was  successful ;  for  a  short  period, 
I  was  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes, — the  hero  (?)  of  the  hour. 

With  all  that  the  foregoing  implies,  it  is  a  peculiar 
fact,  that,  when  we  were  taking  our  leave  for  the  long 
summer  vacation,  I  was,  apparently,  the  only  one  of  all 
who  regretted  it.  It  was  sad  to  take  my  leave  from  the 
first  truly  congenial  company  of  boys  that  I  had  ever 
known ;  and  many  times  during  the  space  before  the  Sep- 
tember term,  I  sighed  and  longed  for  the  return  of  school 
days. 

My  speech,  at  that  time,  was  a  sort  of  patoir,  of  the 

76 


English  language, — a  southern  dialect.  For  ''carry,"  I 
said  "tote;"  nor  could  I  pronounce  our  English  (Ameri- 
can) R:  I  pronounced,  pretty  much  after  the  manner  of 
''Happy  Hooligan."  For  dirt,  I  said,  "doit,"  and  for 
"Squirt,"  I  said,  "Squoit:" 

The  boys  laughed  at  me  inordinately,  and  constantly, 
joked  me.  However,  I  proved  to  be  an  apt  pupil;  and, 
ere  long,  I  could  roll  the  R,  almost  equal  to  a  Continental. 

Time  flew ;  and  when  the  next  vacation  came  around, 
I  got  my  passport  to  the  grammar  grade;  where,  under 
the  watchful  eye  of  Mr.  Perkins,  the  one  spanking  re- 
ferred to,  above,  was  quite  sufficient  to  "hold"me;  until 
I  was  transferred  to  the  Hudson  street  school,  which  was 
in  our  immediate  neighborhood. 

During  my  tutelage  at  the  Mayflower  school,  I  was 
sent,  on  one  occasion  to  report  to  Mr.  Andrew  Freeze,  the 
grand  and  wonderfully  efficient  Superintendent  of  the 
Cleveland  Schools,  for  the  reason  that  I  had  "played 
truant,"  in  order  that  I  might  attend  the  circus,  which 
visited  Cleveland:  Mr.  Freeze  had  his  headquarters  Id 
the  old  Central  High  School  building, — at  that  time  lo- 
cated on  the  lot  of  land  where  now  stands  The  Citizens 
Savings  and  Trust  Company, — in  Euclid  Avenue,  near 
East  Ninth  street  (formerly  Erie  Street). 

Mr.  Freeze  was  the  incarnation  of  the  educational 
idea.  He  loved  his  schools,  was  fond  of  the  society  of  boys 
and  running  over  with  good  nature.  I  approached  this 
august  functionary  with  fear  and  trembling:  "Well,  Sir!" 
he  exclaimed,  "what  brings  you  here?"  I  answered,  in 
a  whining  manner,  that  I  had  been  sent  to  him  to  report 
an  infraction  of  the  rules  of  the  Mayflower  School,  in 
absenting  myself  for  a  day,  to  attend  the  circus. 

"Well",  he  rephed,  in  a  spirited  manner,  "Did  you 
go  to  the  Circus?"  I  answered,  in  the  affirmative.  "All 
right,  then!"  he  said.  "If  you  went  in  and  didn't  hang 

77 


around  on  the  outside,  I'll  excuse  you."  ''You  may  go 
back  to  school;  but,  don't  do  it  again." 

Here  was  a  man  full  of  "the  milk  of  human  kind- 
ness." He  had  been  a  boy  himself;  and,  although  well 
advanced  in  years,  he  had  not  forgotten  the  thrill  of  feed- 
ing nic-nacs  to  the  elephant,  watching  the  antics  of  the 
monkeys,  listening  to  the  jokes  of  the  clown,  and  wit- 
nessing madamoiselle  gracefully  jump  through  the 
''baloons,"  while  riding  the  "fiery  and  untamed  steed." 

Dear,  good  Mr.  Freeze!  was  there  ever  another  like 
him!  long  will  he  live  in  the  memory  and  the  hearts  of 
the  boys  and  girls  of  the  schools  of  Cleveland,  who  were, 
by  his  learning,  energy  and  wisdom  encouraged  and  stim- 
ulated to  soar  to  heights  which  might  not  have  been 
attained  by  them,  in  his  absence. 

During  the  first  winter  of  my  attendance  at  the  May- 
flower school,  the  writer  was  perilously  near  the  grave, 
for,  having  no  overcoat,  and  insufficient  warm  under- 
wear to  protect  him  from  the  cold  of  this  northern  climate 
pneumonia  got  him  in  its  grasp;  and  he  was  saved  by 
the  skillful  treatment  of  a  homeopathic  physician,  and 
the  good  nursing  of  his  dear  mother,  from  a  premature 
death. 

So  the  years  glided  by,  until  the  spring  of  1859 
was  at  hand;  when,  the  times  being  "hard",  and  mother 
being  now,  greatly  in  need  of  my  assistance,  I  left  the 
Hudson  Street  Grammar  School,  and  went  in  search  of 
some  "remunerative  employment"  and,  as  I  was  now  in- 
creased in  weight  to  about  one  hundred  pounds,  and 
evinced  a  redundancy  of  energy  along  other  lines,  it 
seemed  but  reasonable  that  I  should,  in  the  sweat  of  my 
face,  earn  my  "daily  bread." 

As  an  evidence  of  my  masterful  energy,  at  that  time, 
the  following  time  anecdote  is  related. 

A  consuming  desire  to  own  a  pair  of  skates  seized  up- 
on me.    All  the  other  boys  were  upon  the  ice,  having  the 

78 


time  of  their  life,  while  I  would  only  stand  and  look  on. 
Eveiy  evening  witnessed  a  veritable  carnival,  and  joy- 
reigned  supreme.  Of  course  it  was  useless  to  ask  mother 
for  money  to  buy  skates  with ;  for  I  had  not  even  "boots" 
on  my  feet,  which,  in  those  days,  nearly  eveiyboy  wore.  I 
was  glad  to  be  possessed  of  warm  shoes,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances. 

So,  taking  our  "buck"  or  wood-saw,  and  a  light 
"'buck,"  I  sallied  forth,  in  quest  of  fire-wood,  to  saw  and 
split;  and,  after  much  walking,  I  finally  found  a  cord  of 
hickory  wood,  made  a  bargain  with  its  owner,  and 
sawed,  split  and  piled  it  up,  before  I  returned  to  my  home 
— seventy-five  cents  **to  the  good,"  as  the  boys  say. 

On  the  following  days,  I  found  and  sawed,  split  and 
piled  two  additional  piles, — one  of  hickory  and  the  other 
of  oak.  One  of  these  two  cords,  I  sawed  twice,  into 
three  pieces.  For  this  work,  I  received  the  sum  of  one 
dollar  and  seventy-five  cents,  making,  in  all,  a  total  of 
two  dollars  and  fifty  cents.  With  this  money,  I  bought 
my  skates,  and  mingled  with  the  gay  crowds  on  the  pond. 
After  a  while,  having  neither  time  nor  inclination  to  use 
them  longer,  I  sold  them  for  one  dollar,  which  I  was  glad 
to  receive  for  them. 

In  the  summer  of  1859,  I  was  taught  the  process  or 
trade  of  caning  chairs.  I  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  and 
anxious  to  be  earning,  something.  The  labor,  incidental  to 
the  repairing  of  the  chairs,  was  a  mere  bagatelle,  in  com- 
parison with  that  of  finding  the  chairs,  returning  them, 
and  walking  to  the  Chair  Factory  and  return,  then  lo- 
cated in  the  town  of  Newburg,  and  said  to  be  eight  miles 
from  Cleveland,  where  I  purchased  a  bundle  of  cane,  for 
the  price  of  fifty  cents. 

The  only  other  means  of  reaching  Newburg,  was  by 
the  rail-road  or  by  stage  coach,  the  starting  point  of 
which  was  in  the  yard  of  the  old  wooden  ''Commercial 
Hotel,"  located  on  a  lot  on  the  South-west  corner  of  Long 

79 


Avenue  and  West  Third  Street,  and  the  fare,  one  way, 
by  this  conveyance  was  twenty  cents. 

About  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  west  of  this  old  ho- 
tel, in  the  location  of  the  present  Central  Police  Station, 
was  the  dwelling  and  lot  of  a  colored  man  named  Davis ; 
he  was  of  mixed  blood,  and  so  large  that,  he  could  neith- 
er mount  or  dismount  from  his  "buggy,"  without  assist- 
ance. Mr.  Davis  was,  for  years,  the  city  sprinkler,  and 
moistened  our  dusty  streets,  under  contract  with  the 

city. 

About  the  year  1858,  through  the  courtesy  of  the  late 
Miss  Mary  Alston,  (sister  of  the  Reverend  William  Al^ 
ston,  of  whom  I  gave  an  account,  in  the  first  chapter) 
and  her  married  sister,  Mrs.  William  Sampson,  who  were 
depaii;ing  for  Raleign,  N.  C,  on  an  extended  visit.  We 
were  invited  to  take  charge  of  their  comfortable  resi- 
dence in  Cedar  Avenue,  gi-atis,  until  their  return.  This 
residence  was  cozy  and  homelike,  and  we  spent  a  year 
there  very  pleasantly. 

I  am  mentioning  this  Cedar  Avenue  home  especially, 
because  it  first  brought  me  in  touch  with  one  of  the  lead- 
ing families  of  the  whole  world ;  and  because  this  family 
contained,  as  a  member  of  it,  the  richest  man  in  the  world 
(not  connected  with  royalty  in  any  respect,  and  who,  in 
his  o\\-n  life  time  and  through  the  fertility  of  his  own 
brain,  has  accumulated  his  fortune),  now  living,  or  who 
has  ever  lived,  in  so  far  as  history,  ancient  or  modern 
has  disclosed  to  us;  and  I  may  add,  that,  in  the  size  and 
number  of  his  gifts,  while  living,  he  has  no  peer.  Of 
course,  reference  is  made  to  the  great  and  good  John  D. 
Rockefeller,  whom  I  rejoice  to  call  not  only  an  acquaint- 
ance of  mine,  but,  also  a  friend. 

Mr.  Rockefeller  was  then  a  mere  youth  (in  1858)  and 
I  frequently  saw  him  leave  his  home  in  Cedar  Avenue, 
for  his  place  of  employment,  in  the  morning,  and  also, 
return,  in  the  evening.    The  residence  of  the  Rockefeller 

80 


family,  at  that  time  was  on  the  north  side  of  Cedar  Ave- 
nue, and,  the  last  of  three  similar  brick  houses,  from 
Cleve  (now  E.  25th)  Street,  going  west.  The  building  is 
still  standing,  and  maintains  its  appearance,  very  welL 

Mr.  Frank  Rockefeller,  late  deceased,  was,  at  that 
time,  a  member  of  old  Mayflower  School,  and  generally^ 
led  the  boys  in  their  vigorous  sports;  but,  I  have  no  re- 
membrance  of  having  ever  seen  his  august  brother  other- 
wise engaged  than  in  going  to  and  returning  from  his 
daily  duties. 

Amongst  other  boys  who  were  of  our  party,  in  ath- 
letic sports,  at  that  time,  may  be  mentioned,  the  late  W. 
H.  King,  who,  at  one  time,  served  a  term  as  commissioner 
of  this  county;  also  James  and  Andrew  Dall,  who  subse- 
quently figured,  conspicuously,  as  builders  of  large  struc- 
tures in  Cleveland,  and  Andrew  Dall,  with  Colonel  McAll- 
ister, built  and  owned  the  Mohawk  Building, — now  known 
as  the  American  Trust  Building,  near  the  "Old  Court 
House,"  and  the  Public  Square. 

Mr.  George  B.  Chiistian,  for  a  long  time  secretary 
and  treasurer  of  the  Cleveland  Provision  Company,  was 
also  a  modest,  lovable  member  of  our  "gang,"  and  the 
late  Frank  Chandler,  for  many  years,  a  wholesale  dealer 
in  provisions  in  the  "down  town"  section ;  William  Whit- 
worth  and  Hugh  and  Henry  Lowrie  were  also  very  much 
in  evidence,  as  boys. 

About  this  time,  this  writer  was  seized  with  a  desire 
to  become  a  member  of  the  "Shakers,"  so  called,  who  were 
followers  of  "Mother  Ann  Lee,"  whose  headquarters  were 
in  the  state  of  New  York.  These  religiously,  believed  in 
cehbacy, — they  were  neither  married  nor  given  in  mar- 
riage; and,  in  their  communal  settlements,  occupied  sep- 
arate apartments,  in  the  same  buildings,  and  sat,  at  their 
rneals,  at  separate  tables. 

At  the  time  referred  to,  they  owned  a  large  tract 
of  land,  in  the  eastera  suburbs  of  Cleveland,  and  were  di- 

81 


vided  into  three,  several  communities — the  East  house 
was  in  that  portion  of  the  tract  which  contains  the  pres- 
ent ''Shaker  Lake,"  on  Shaker  Heights;  where  their  grist 
mill  was  located,  which  ground  the  grain  produced  by  the 
Shakers,  the  "Center  was  presided  over  by  Elder  James, 
who  was  the  ''ranking"  elder  of  the  whole  sect,  in  that 
vicinity,  and  the  other  gToup  was  still  further  removed. 

The  religious  exercises  consisted  in  silent  prayer  and 
meditation,  for  the  most  part,  and  communal  dancing. 
The  tables  and  other  furniture  l3eing  drawn  back,  the 
dance  would  begin, — the  men  on  one  side  of  the  hall  and 
the  women  on  the  other  side,  facing  each  other;  and,  at 
times,  it  was  quite  animated  and  exhiliarating.  There 
was  no  violin  or  other  musical  instrument  to  furnish  mu- 
sic for  the  participants;  singing  alone,  giving  zest  to 
their  movements,  which,  at  times,  rivaled  anything  in 
that  line,  that  I  had  ever  seen. 

So  interested  and  enthused  was  the  writer  that  he, 
during  his  brief  sojourn  there,  became  quite  expert  in 
their  teii)sichorean  movements ;  and,  to  this  day,  remem- 
bers, two  of  their  refrains,  which  he  will  here  record,  for 
the  benefit  of  such  as  may  be  interested.  The  fii'st  was, 
as  follows: 

''Dancing  is  a   sweet  employ; 
Fills  the  soul  with  heavenly  joy; 
Makes  the  love  of  union  flow, 
Round  and  round  and  round  we  go, 
Lolalo!    lola,  lola,  lola  lo! 
Lola  lo!  lola,  lola,  lola,  lola  lo." 

The  second,  as  far  as  I  can  remember  it,  after  the 
lapse  of  sixty-two  years,  was  as  follows: 

"We  have  love,  we  have  love,  we  ha\  love  to  give  you; 
Heavenly  love,  heavenly  love,  'tis  from  your  blessed  Mother, 
And  now  we  wave  it  unto  you,  as  free  as  we  received  it; 
And  v.e  are  not  going  to  stop,  until  we  make  you  feel  it!" 

82 


At  the  end  of  the  last  hne,  the  words,  ''feel  it,"  were 
pronounced  with  much  zest,  and  with  an  accompanying 
clap  of  the  hands,  as  if  suiting  the  action  to  the  word. 

While  the  dancers  were  whirling  and  marching 
around,  the  palms  of  the  hands,  extended  forward,  were 
waved  upwards,  as  if  to  send  greeting— each  side  to  the 
other.  Finally,  becoming  wearied  or  satisfied,  the  danc- 
ing would  cease,  and  the  participants  would  retire,  each 
sex  to  its  respective  quarters. 

Before  being  received  into  full  fellowship,  an  oral  ex- 
amination of  the  candidate  was  made  by  the  presiding 
"elder"  and  such  other  of  the  committee  as  were  ap- 
pointed for  that  function;  during  which,  the  applicant 
was  required  to  make  a  "full  and  free"  confession  of  his 
previous  sins.  This  writer  having  complied  with  all  the 
requirements,  along  this  line,  was  received  in  full  fellow- 
ship; and,  thenceforward,  was  treated,  in  all  respects,  as 
an  equal— not  even  the  fact  that  he  was  a  colored  boy, 
causing  any  differentiation  between  him  and  the  others. 

After  worshiping  with  them,  and  working  in  the  big 
garden,— weeding  long  rows  of  onions,  and  riding  a  plow- 
horse,  the  time  came  when  his  mother  discovered  his 
whereabouts,  and  her  demand  of  his  person  was  promptly 
acceded  to.  A  fact  which  I  deeply  regretted;  for,  I  was 
being  furnished  sumptuous  repasts,— and  I  enjoyed  the 
dancing  very  much. 

The  Shakers  found  a  ready  sale  for  all  the  products 
of  their  famis,  and  the  manufactures  of  their  workshops, 
m  our  market,  for  they  were  strictly  honest,  in  all  their 
representations. 

My  next  escapade  was  to  start  on  a  tour  of  the  world, 
with  only  a  few  dimes  in  my  purse.  I  had  read  of  Captain 
John  Smith,  of  Pocohontas  fame,  who,  it  was  said,  trav- 
eled afoot  over  Europe,  when  a  boy  of  fifteen  years  of 
age,  and  I  longed  to  rival  his  achievement;  and,  with  a 

83 


companion  of  my  own  age  and  size,  we  started  on  our 
serious  undertaking. 

After  walking  to  Berea,  we  boarded  a  freight  car, 
crawled  into  a  threshing  machine,  and  went  to  sleep; 
when  we  awoke,  next  morning,  we  found  ourselves  in  the 
outskirts  of  Toledo;  but,  on  attempting  to  penetrate  into 
the  young  city,  we  were  turned  back  and  told  to  ''beat  it," 
which,  we  did  without  protest  or  delay,  working  our 
way  homeward,  until  we  finally  reached  our  destination. 
On  another  occasion,  I  walked,  in  ten  hours,  from 
Cleveland  to  Painesville;  there  boarded  a  freight  train, 
and,  ere  long,  found  myself  in  Buffalo.  Taking  another 
car,  I  rode  to  Niagara  Falls,  and  after  walking  across  the 
great  Suspension  Bridge,  I  barely  placed  my  feet  on  Ca- 
nadian soil,  when  I  was  turned  back. 

Lockport,  N.  Y.,  was  as  far  as  I  reached ;  where,  half 
famished  and  foot-sore,  I,  like  another  Prodigal  (tramp) , 
repented,  rode  on  the  ''bumper'*  between  two  cars,  back 
to  Buffalo, — stowed  away  between  some  sacks  of  coffee, 
on  the  deck  of  the  great  steamer  City  of  Buffalo,  and 
next  morning,  found  myself  back  again  in  Cleveland. 
This  was  the  last  attempt  to  rival  Captain  John  Smith; 
and  thenceforward,  I  settled  down  to  honest  labor. 

Knowing  that  the  tenure  of  the  Alston-Sampson  resi- 
dence, by  us  was  limited  to  the  period  of  their  absence, 
and  that,  it  was  necessary  for  her  to  provide  a  suitable 
home  for  herself  and  family,  by  the  time  of  their  return, 
our  mother  did  not  allow  the  opportunity  to  slip  by  unim- 
proved ;  and,  being  a  member  of  the  First  Baptist  Church, 
which  contained  on  the  list  of  its  membersship  the  names 
of  persons  who  were,  at  once,  both  wealthy  and  generous, 
she  made  known  to  some  of  them  her  straitened  condi- 
tion. 

Amongst  those  approached,  was  the  late  James  Madi- 
son Hoyt,  Esquire,  father  of  the  late  Rev.  Wayland  Hoyt, 
(for  many  years,  pastor  of  one  of  the   leading   Baptist 

84 


churches  of  the  City  of  New  York,  whose  learning  and 
eloquence  was  noted  throughout  the  United  States),  Col- 
gate Hoyt,  Esquire,  well  known  financier  of  the    same 
place,  and  former  president  of  the  Ohio  Society  of  New 
York;  James  H.  Hoyt,  late  deceased,  who  was  the  head 
of  one  of  the  leading  law  firms  of  Cleveland,  and,  one 
time,  prominent  candidate  for  Governor  of    Ohio;    Mr. 
Elton  Hoyt,  successful  real  estate  dealer,  and   the   late 
Mrs.  Lydia  Holt  Farmer,  popular  and  influential  society 
leader,  long  since  deceased. 

As  to  the  ancestry  of  Mr.  Ho^^t,  I  have  no  knowledge ; 
but,  judging  him  by  his  personal  bearing,  together  with 
the  high  and  gentle  port  of  his  family  and  his  unselfish 
generous  life,  I  can  truthfully  say^,  that,  he  was  one  of 
Nature's  noblemen, — a  typical  Christian  gentleman. 

Shortly  prior  to  the  time  when  mother  interviewed 
him,  Mr.  Hoyt  had  opened  the  street,  extending  from 
Central  Avenue  to  Woodland  Avenue,  and  named  it  Laurel 
Street,  and  when  she  sought  to  contract  for  a  lot  on  that 
street,  (the  present  name  of  that    street   is    East   29th 
street),  he  persuaded  her  to  take  one  on  Garden  Street 
(now  called  Central  Avenue) ,  alleging  as  a  reason  that,  in 
the  not  distant  future,  it  would  be  much  more  valuable 
than  the  one  on  Laurel  Street.     Garden  Street,  at  that 
time  was  lined,  on  both  sides,  with   neat,    cozy   homes, 
shaded  by  attractive  trees. 

Yielding  to  Mr.  Hoyt's  good  judgment  and  friendly 
consideration,  the  contract  was  signed;  and,  thereby,  the 
outlook  for  our  future  home  was  brightened.  The  next 
problem,  of  most  difficult  solution,  was,  the  placing  of 
a  residence  on  the  lot;  but,  having  bought  an  antiquated 
house  in  the  neighborhood,  mother  had  it  moved  thereon, 
— repaired  so  as  to  render  it  tenantabble,  and  immediate- 
ly moved  into  it.  So,  finally,  she  was,  once  more,  at 
hom.e,  v/ith  her  orphaned  children. 

Tw^o  years  flew  by ;  yet,  not  one  cent  had  been  paid  on 

85 


principal  or  interest,  and  when  the  agent  demanded  either 
or  both,  mother  answered,  '1  can't  pay  you  anything; 
where  do  you  expect  me  to  get  money  from  ?"  Thereupon, 
"one  fine  day,"  came  the  mild,  genial  James  M.  Hoyt, 
when  the  following  colloquy  ensued:  Mr.  Hoyt:  Now, 
Mrs.  Green,  don't  be  discouraged;  only  have  faith  and  in- 
dustriously work,  and  you  can  accomplish  much !"  Mother : 
"But,  Mr.  Hoyt,  the  interest  accrues  faster  than  I  could 
pay  it,  even  if  I  should  try  to  buy  the  lot."  Mr.  Hoyt: 
"Never  mind  the  interest,  Mrs.  Green;  I  will  cancel  all 
the  interest  due,  down  to  date,  if  you  will  only  tiy.  Ycu 
have  a  son  (?)  who  will  be  able,  in  a  year  or  two,  to  earn 
something  and  assist  you.  Now  do  try  and  see  what  you 
can  accomplish,  Mrs.  Green." 

Next  morning,  mother,  addressing  this  writer,  said, 
in  her  earnest  tone  of  voice,  substantially,  as  follows: 
"John,  you  seem  to  be  tired  of  going  to  school;  so,  you 
must  go  to  work.  Now  go  out  and  see  if  you  can't  find 
something  to  do."  Never  did  the  mother  or  father  eagle 
"stir  up  the  nest,"  more  effectually.  The  "fiat"  had  gone 
forth,  and  I  well  understood  what  that  meant. 

Day  after  day,  I  trod  the  streets  of  this  city  in  quest 
of  employment;  but,  in  vain.  One  would  say,  "I  want  a 
boy,  but  he  must  be  a  white  boy."  Another  would  say, 
"No;  I  haven't  enough  work  for  myself ;"  (A  far-reaching, 
most  disastrous  "panic"  had  seized  the  vitals  of  our  in- 
dustries and  finances,  and  even  a  first-class  mechanic  was 
"in  luck"  to  have  a  job,  at  one  dollar  for  a  day  of  twelve 
hours)  ;  a  third  said,  I  need  a  boy,  but  you  are  too  small; 
j^ou  would  not  answer  my  purix>se ;  and  so,  we  reached  the 
middle  of  July,  without  accomplishing  anything. 

Then  Mother,  again,  Spartan  like,  as  ever,  said: 
"John,  go  to  the  postoffice  door,  every  evening,  when 
gentlemen  call  for  their  mail  (we  had  no  carriers  in  those 
days),  and  ask  everyone  when  he  goes  in  or  comes  out, 
for  work."    I  obeyed  her,  implicitly,  and  on  the  second 

86 


day,  a  gentleman  of  'the  cloth'  looked  down  upon  me  be- 
nignantly ;  heard  my  plea  for  employment,  and  set  me  to 
work  hoeing  rows  of  vegetables  and  weeding  the  gi-ass 
from  others.  My  employer  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  Bittinger, 
pastor  of  the  "Third  Presbyterian  Church" — the  big 
church,  which  was  located  on  the  southeast  corner  of 
Euclid  Avenue  and  Brownell  Street  (now  East  14th 
Street)  where  the  great  Hanna  Building  now  stands. 
His  residence  was  hard  by,  east  of  the  Church. 

Dr.  Bittinger  paid  me  well  for  my  half  day's  work, 
and  I  carried  the  money  to  my  mother  rejoicing.  I  might 
add,  in  passing,  that,  during  the  previous  winter,  I  had 
sold  the  Cleveland  Leader  on  the  streets,  mornings,  get- 
ting up  before  day  and  walking  a  mile  to  the  office,  to 
get  them;  also  in  the  afternoons,  I  sold  the  Evening 
Herald,  through  all  the  lower  part  of  the  city,  even  down 
in  Merwin  Street,  frequently  going  into  the  store  where 
Mr.  Rockefeller,  in  his  youth,  was  employed.  ^T 

However,  "All  things  come  to  him  who  only  stands 
and  waits,"  and,  finally,  a  "job"  came  to  me,  or  I  went  to 
it.  My  employer  was  Mr.  William  A.  NefF,  who  resided 
in  Doan  Street  (now  East  105th  Street) ,  between  Euclid 
and  Cedar  Avenues,  on  the  east  side  of  the  street.  For 
the  consideration  of  four  (4)  dollars  per  month,  I  sawed 
and  split  all  the  firewood,  drove  the  cow  up  on  Cedar 
Heights  to  pasture  and  return,  cared  for  one  horse,  per- 
formed all  errands  to  and  from  a  stone  quarry  upon  the 
Heights,  and  to  the  City  (Cleveland)  and  return,  kept  a 
very  large  garden  free  from  ^veeds,  hoed  an  acre  of  corn 
and  potatoes,  and  gathered  up  in  the  streets  all  the  "fer- 
tilizer" I  could  find  to  enrich  the  soil  of  the  garden.  Occa- 
sionally, I  stood  on  the  Central  Market  offering  some  of 
the  products  of  the  garden  for  sale.  Of  the  forty  (40) 
dollars  which  I  received  for  ten  months'  labor,  here,  we 
paid  twenty-seven  and  50-lOOth  dollars  of  it  to  Mr,  Hoyt, 
tov/ards  the  purchase  price  of  that  little  home. 

87 


When  mid-winter  came,  a  brother  of  my  employer 
V  as  given  the  bed  upon  which  I  had  been  sleeping,  and  I 
v-ds  relegated  to  the  floor  of  the  same  room,  and  given  a 
bundle  of  straw  upon  which  to  sleep;  the  bag  containing 
the  straw  being  too  short  for  me,  my  feet  were  partly  ex- 
p>sed  to  the  cold,  with  the  result  that  I  was  seized  with 
a  recurrence  of  the  pneumonia,  which  had  afflicted  me 
two  years  before;  and  I  came  within  sight  of  the  ''Valley 
of  the  Shadow,"  at  my  home. 

However,  notwithstanding  the  foregoing    hardships 

:id  discouragements,  "Ike"  (as  the  brother  was  named) 

^^"^-d  I,  being  temperamentally  much  alike,  indulged  in  a 

if  aw  pastimes,  which  were  mutually  congenial  to  us;  one 

of  v.iiich  is,  to  this  day,  fresh  in  my  memory,  and  tends 

to  disclose  the  redundancy  of  spirits  which  animate  the 

^  rerage  youth,  and  flow  on,  with  an  abandon  which  not 

even  Niagara  Falls  can  surpass. 

It  is,  "as  the  crow  flies,"  just  five  miles  from  Doan 

\E.  105th)   Street,  where  we  resided,    to    the    Wilshire 

-lulding,  where  the  old  Melodeon  Hall  used  to  stand.  Ike 

:id  I,  both  were  burning  with  a  desire  to  attend  a  per- 

*3rmance  of  one  of  the  famous  minstrel  companies,  which 

a5  advertised  to  appear  in  that  hall,  on  a  cold  winter's 

:  ^ght.    There  were  no  street  cars,  in  those  days,  nor  any 

'  isans  of  transportation  for  the  average  man  or  boy,  ex- 

'  rpt  "shanks'  mares,"  as  was  the  slang  for  walking,  then. 

So,  having  finished  our  evening  meal,  we  sallied  forth, 

•  li  at  the  expiration  of  about  one  hour  and  a  half,  we 

■  --imd  ourselves  cozily  seated  in  the  gallery  of  the  hall. 

The  program.m.e  was  long  and  interesting, — the  sing- 

y,  dancing  and  jokes  richly  repaid  us  for  all  our  trouble 

id  expense;  and  when,  at  midnight    we    reached    our 

orp.e,  we  were  thoroughly  satisfied. 

One  of  the  jokes  caused  us   to   laugh,   inordinately; 
:vi,  although  it  is,  to  my  knowledge,  fifty-nine  years  old, 
T  will  venture  to  record  it : 


Mr.  Johnson:     "Bones,  can  you  tell  me  what  a  focus 


is?" 

Bones :  "Ha !  Ha !  Ha !  Can  I  tell  what  a  focus  is ! !  1 
Why,  of  course  I  kin;  anybody  knows  dat!" 

Mr.  Johnson :  "Well,  since  you  are  so  sure,  what  is  a 
focus?" 

Bones:    "A  focus  is  a  place  where  dey  raises  pigs!" 

The  Whole  Troupe:  Shaking  with  laughter  and 
scorn,  "Where  they  raise  pigs!    Ha!  Ha!  Ha!" 

Bones :  "Well  den,  sense  you  all  know  so  much  about 
it,  what  is  a  focus?" 

Mr.  Johnson:  "Well,  sir,  a  focus  is  a  place  where 
the  rays  meet." 

Bones:  "Well,  aint  pigs  meat!!!",  with  startling  ef- 
fect upon  all  present. 

When  the  spring  flowers  began  to  bloom,  in  1861, 
and  the  call  of  the  birds  v/as  enchanting,  I  sallied  forth 
again ;  and,  in  a  few  days,  found  myself  in  the  employ  of 
the  late  Robert  Hanna,  Esq.,  brother  of  the  late  Doctor 
Hanna,  who  v/as  the  father  of  that  noble  group  of  sons, 
of  whom  the  late  Marcus  A.  Hanna,  great  promoter,  mer- 
chant, manufacturer,  banker,  senator  and  president- 
maker,  and  L.  C.  Hanna,  Esq.,  late  deceased,  big-hearted 
munificent  and  successful  captain  of  industry,  were  the 
most  conspicuous. 

I  must  add  here,  that,  it  will,  perhaps,  never  be 
known  to  what  a  great  extent  Senator  M.  A.  Hanna, — and 
through  him,  our  m.artyred  President  McKinley  and  the 
general  public,  were  indebted  to  the  business  sagacity, 
energy  and  strenuous  application  of  the  late  L.  C.  Hanna, 
in  caiing  for  the  grovv^th  and  success  of  the  great  M.  A 
Hanna  Co.,  during  Senator  Hanna' s  political  activities  and 
protracted  absence  from  Ohio;  thereby  contributing 
towards  the  grand  success  of  the  McKinley  administra- 
tion,— which  blessed  us  all. 

I  remained  with  Mr.  Robert  Hanna  until  the  summer 


of  1862;  when,  getting  ''above  my  business,"  I  left  his, 
employ  and  took  service  with  Mr.  A.  H.  Harvey,  the  step- 
father of  the  wife  of  the  late  Fayette  Brown,  Esq.,  and 
mother  of  Hai*vey  Brown,  Esq.,  who  conducted  a  large 
saw-mill  on  a  small  island  in  the  Allegheny  river,  between 
Pittsburgh  and  Allegheny  City  (now  a  part  of  the  City  of 
Pittsburgh. 

Mr.  Harvey  had  a  lovely  home  on  the  summit  of  Trojr 
Hill,  now  denominated,  Mount  Troy,  I  think.  Fruit  trees, 
strawberries  and  beautiful  flowers,  in  abundance,  feat- 
ured the  place.  By  working  industriously  through  the 
day,  I  found  some  hours  for  recreation  which  were  turned 
to  good  use.  My  pay  was  five  dollars  per  month,  de- 
ducting ten  (10)  dollars  which  I  paid  for  a  ticket  to 
Pittsburgh  and  return,  which  left  me  an  average  of, 
about,  four  (4)  dollars  per  month. 

My  Christmas  present  from  Mrs.  Harvey  was  a  red 
bandanna  handkerchief,  while  Mr.  Harvey  gave  me  a 
quarter  of  a  dollar. 

Contiguous  to  the  lot  of  Mr.  Hai^vey,  was  that  occu- 
pied by  the  family  of  Mr.  Dewhurst,  consisting  of  several 
members,  one  of  whom,  a  noble  son,  was  at  "the  front," 
fighting  for  the  life  of  this  glorious  Union  and  Liberty ; 
he  gave  his  life,  which  proved  his  love  and  patnotism, 
and,  thereby,  immortalized  his  name.  A  daughter,  fair, 
refined  and  generous,  Miss  Anna  by  name,  gi'aced  their 
household,  and  lent  warmth  and  cheer  to  all  the  sur- 
roundings. She  was  ever  on  the  alert  to  detect  and  re- 
lieve want  and  misery;  and  the  sunshine  of  her  smile 
and  the  music  of  her  cheery  voice,  lifted  up  many  a 
downcast,  unhappy  heart. 

IMiss  Anna's  keen  eye  readily  noticed  that,  this  writer 
was  (in  his  "cabin'd  and  cribbed"  condition,  in  that  re- 
mote Troy  Hill  home,  with  no  companion  save  the  big 
dog),  lonely  and,  somewhat,  forlorn. 

Without  hesitating,  she  advised  him  to  occupy  his. 

90 


spate  moments  in  reading  and  studying,  for  the  improve- 
ment of  his  mind;  and,  in  order  to  show  her  interest  in 
that  behalf,  she  furnished  him  with  sundry  school  books, 
for  the  purpose.  During  the  remainder  of  my  sojourn 
on  Troy  Hill,  and  the  ensuing  four  years,  I  did  not  fail 
to  devote  all  my  spare  time,  assiduously,  to  the  study  of 
such  school  books  as  came  within  my  reach,  without  the 
assistance  of  a  teacher;  a  fact  which  I  have  never  found 
cause  to  regi'et. 

There  was  another  source  of  inspiration  which  I  have 
cause  to  be  grateful  for,  and  can  never  forget.  I  refer  to 
the  late  Samuel  H.  Baird, — a  young  gentleman  and  schol- 
ar, whose  home,  at  that  time,  was  Dequesne  Borough, 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill  on  which  we  resided,  along  the  shore 
of  Allegheny  River.  Mr.  Baird  was  the  nephew  of  Rev- 
erend Walter  Lowry,  a  faithful  missionary  to  China,  who, 
in  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  was  dmwned  in  the 
Yellow  Sea,  by  Chinese  pirates,  while,  working  in  the 
course  of  his  duties.  He  was  tall  and  slender  of  form, 
with  fair  hair,  blue  eyes  and  finely  chiseled  features.  It 
was  easily  seen  that,  he  was  not  framed  to  combat  the 
storms  and  buffets  of  this  world ;  and,  even  in  my  inexpe- 
rienced youth,  I  feared  the  worst  for  him.  He  was  so 
gentle,  sympathetic  and  kindly  in  his  dealings  with  me, 
that,  for  once,  and  only  once,  I  felt  that,  in  him,  I  had  a 
brother.  It  was  he  who  first  opened  my  eyes  to  the  rich 
m.ine  and  beauties  of  the  ancient  classics ;  and,  in  showing 
me  a  copy  of  Xenophons  Anabasis,  in  the  original  Greek, 
he  lighted  a  flame  in  my  brain  and  heart  never  to  be  ex- 
tinguished. He  and  Miss  Dewhurst  (the  latter  now,  and 
for  many  years,  Mrs.  Jehu  Haworth,  of  Edgworth,  Pa.,  a 
suburb  of  Pittsburgh)  were  both  devoted  teachers  in  the 
Mission  Sunday-school,  on  The  Hill,  where  they  could  be 
found  engaged  in  their  work  of  love,  every  Sunday.  One 
of  the  most  helpful  little  books  which  could  be  placed  in 
the  hands  of  an  ambitious  youth,  was  given  me,    as    a 

91 


Christmas  present,  on  Christmas  Day,  1862,  by  Miss 
Anna ;  the  book  is  entitled,  The  Improvement  of  the  Mind, 
by  Isaac  Watts,  D.  D.  I  have  it  nov/,  before  me,  Christ- 
mas, 1919, — fifty-seven  years,  subsequent  to  the  day  on 
which  it  was  ^iven  to  me,  and  still  the  truths  and  vaJ- 
uable  precepts  contained  in  it  are  as  fresh  and  vital  as 
on  the  day  when  I  received  it. 

My  friend,  IMr.  Baird,  went  to  his  reward  a  genera- 
tion ago;  but.  the  good  lady,  a  vigorous  octogenarian, 
surrounded  by  her  children  and  grandchildren,  bides  her 
tim.e,  in  the  full  assurance  of  a  rich  reward  when  the 
Master  gathers  in  his  ripened  sheaves. 

"He  that  goeth  forth  and  weepeth,  bearing  precious 
seed,  shall  doubtless  come  again,  with  rejoicing,  bringing 
his  sheave?  with  him."— PSALM  CXXVI:6. 

Upon  mature  consideration,  I  have  concluded,  that 
my  employment  on  Troy  Hill  was  the  most  fortunate 
event  for  me,  during  my  boyhood  days;  and  coming,  as  it 
did,  when  I  was  just  in  the  dawn  of  youth, — a  pevi)d 
when  the  mind  and  character  are  in  the  foraiative  pro- 
cess, and  vrhen  I  needed  the  w^arm  sympathy  and  cordial 
advice  which  w^as  lavished  upon  me,  by  Miss  Dewhurst 
and  Mr.  Baird,  without  any  hope  of  reward,  but  solely, 
"In  His  Name,"  it  was  a  veritable  God-send  to  me;  and, 
probabbly,  "saved  my  soul  alive/' 


92 


CHAPTER  V. 
HOME  AGAIN. 

Returning  to  Cleveland,  from  Troy  Hill,  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1862, 1  found  employment  with  the  East  Cleveland 
Street  Railway  Company,  in  its  bam,  located  at  Euclid 
and  Wilson  avenues,  now  East  55th  street;  my  spe- 
cific duties  were  to  wash,  comb,  rub-down  and  harness 
nine  street-car  horses;  but,  for  the  reason  that,  I  feared 
the  effect  of  the  constant  dust  on  my  lungs,  I  did  not  re- 
main there  longer  than  a  week  or  two. 

To  please  my  mother,  who  desired  that  I  should  fol- 
low in  the  footsteps  of  my  father,  and  learn  the  tailor's 
trade,  I  went  into  the  employ  of  Mr.  Henry  Cardozo,  a 
merchant  tailor,  in  Prospect  Avenue,  near  its  junction 
with  Bolivar  Road.  Mr.  Cardozo  was  affable  and  kind, 
and  used  his  best  endeavors  to  induct  me  into  the  mys- 
teries of  his  useful  trade;  but  alas!  I  soon  discovered 
that  his  efforts,  in  that  behalf,  were  all  to  no  purpose; 
for,  although  I  proved  an  apt  pupil,  during  the  three 
months  which  I  spent  in  his  employ, — learned  to  make 
ordinary  "pants  and  vests,"  yet,  so  stiffened  had  my 
joints  become,  by  reason  of  the  protracted  labor  which 
I  had  performed,  that,  I  could  not  ''bend  the  suple  hinges 
of  my  knees,"  and  squat  on  the  work-board,  when  I  was 
sewing ;  and  in  my  efforts  to  do  so,  the  strain  was  so  se- 
vere, on  both  knees  and  back,  that,  I  sewed  in  continual 
pain. 

93 


The  result  is  easily  seen.  I  quit  the  services  of  Mr. 
Cardozo,  and,  quite  easily,  betook  myself  to  the  calling 
of  a  hotel  waiter.  My  dear  mother  protested  against  this 
action  on  my  pai-t;  but,  as  we  both  well  knew  that  the 
payments  must  be  kept  up  on  the  little  home,  it  was  no 
time  for  the  drawing  of  nice  distinctions;  and  so,  I  en- 
tered, the  old  "Angier  House,"  now,  the  Kennard  House, 
and  donned  my  white  jacket  and  apron,  the  pure  symbols 
of  my  occupation. 

I  was  a  novice  at  the  work;  and  since,  in  those  days, 
that  hotel  took  first  rank  amongst  the  other  hostelries  of 
the  growing  city,  the  menus  were  in  French, — a  language 
with  which  I  was  not,  in  the  least,  familiar.  The  head- 
waiter,  at  that  time,  was,  Mr.  Enoch  Gray,  who  resembled 
a  white  man;  he  understood  all  the  duties  pertaining  to 
his  responsible  position,  and  was  a  veritable  Martinet,  in 
enforcing  the  execution  of  all  his  rules. 

I  suspect,  it  was  my  scrutinizing  of  Mr.  Gray  which 
caused  me  to  slip  and  spill  the  consomme,  which  I  was 
sei-ving  guests,  on  the  floor  of  the  richly  frescoed  din- 
ing-room, to  say  nothing  of  my  extreme  chagrin  at  being 
sprawled  on  the  same. 

It  was  frequently  necessary  for  a  waiter,  during  the 
rush  hour,  to  memorize  the  French  orders  of  six  and  sev- 
en guests,  at  one  time.  I  did  it;  but,  how  in  the  world  I 
ever  accomplished  it,  is  beyond  my  ken,  at  this  late  day. 
The  other  boys  did  it,  and  I  had  to  follow  their  example 
or — quit; — which  was  not  to  be  considered,  for  a  mo- 
ment. 

In  due  course  of  time,  I  found  myself,  performing  the 
same  functions,  at  the  Weddell  house; — but,  for  in- 
creased pay ;  and  later  on,  during  the  troubulous  days  of 
the  Civil  War,  I  strove,  right  manfully,  in  the  labors  of 
feeding  the  ''boys  in  blue",  on  the  way  to  the  front, 
at  the  call  of  ''Father  Abraham,"  (whom  God  had  raised 
up  for  this  work),  in  the  dining  room  of  the  first  Union 

94 


Depot,  which  gave  way  to  the  remnant  of    the    present 
"'Union  Depot,"  about  the  year  1865. 

There  were  stirring  scenes  witnessed  in  that  old 
-depot,  in  those  trying  times.  During  all  hours  of  the 
day,  and  frequently  at  night,  long  seii)entine  trains  would 
find  their  way  into  that  shelter  house,  with  their  thou- 
sands of  hungry  and  thirsty  "boys  in  blue,"  who  had  left 
all  that  the  word  **home"  means  to  us,  in  order  to  help  to 
save  our  glorious  Union. 


"Theirs    not    to    reason    why, 
Theirs  but  to  do  and  die," 

snd,  like  brave  men,  they  did  it.  It  was  one  of  my  duties 
to  sound  the  big  Chinese  gong,  upon  the  arrival  of  trains ; 
which  I  did  with  a  will.  Sometimes  the  "racket"  was  so 
great  that  a  soldier  would  order  me  to  cease  it;  some- 
times, I  must  say,  while  being  held  up,  by  the  nape  of  my 
neck,  by  a  stalwart  soldier. 

At  other  times,  there  would  be  taken  from  an  in- 
coming train  over  the  ''Cleveland,  Columbus  and  Cincin- 
nati Railroad,"  boxes,  containing  the  remains  of  brave 
boys  who  had  given  their  all,  for  the  dear  old  flag. 
Such  was  the  case  when  the  remains  of  Colonels  Creigh- 
ton  and  Crane  were  brought  back,  to  lie  in  state,  in  the 
council  chamber  of  the  old  City  Hall,  when  it  was  located 
in  a  building,  still  standing,  in  the  southwestern  comer 
of  the  Public  Square.  Afterwards,  they  were  laid  to  rest, 
with  full  military  honors. 

At  other  times,  there  would  alight,  from  these  trains 
the  "halt,  the  lame  and  the  blind,"  victims  of  what  Gen- 
eral Sherman  not  improperly  denominated  "hell."  Anoth- 
er class  were  the  almost  skeletons  of  Union  prisoners, 
released  from  horrid  prison  pens  of  the  "Southern  Con- 
federacy." Some  of  these  victims  were  so  nearly  starved 
to  death  and  emaciated,  that,  they  could  not  walk  alone. 

95 


In  later  ye^rs,  while  visiting  North  Baltimore,  Ohio,  for 
the  purpose  of  making  a  ''Decoration  Day"  speech,  I 
conversed  with  one  of  these  victims,  who  survived;  and 
he  told  me,  that,  before  being  confined  in  the  Ander- 
sonville  Prison-pen,  he  w^eighed  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
five  pound§;  but,  that,  when  he  was  released  therefrom, 
a  ladies  bracelet  could  have  been  passed  over  his  right 
arm,  from  his  wrist  to  his  shoulder,  with  the  elbow  joint 
left  out. 

The  dining-room  was  owned  by  Messrs.  Wheeler  and 
Russell.  Mr.  Wheeler  was  in  immediate  charge  of  it, 
while  Mr.  Russell  presided  over  the  one  owned  by  them  in 
Crestline,  Ohio.  There  were,  at  that  time,  also,  two 
"coffee  houses,"  in  one  of  which  the  late  W.  J.  Akers, 
then  a  boy,  was  employed. 

Among  the  colored  men,  generally  known  in  Cleve- 
land, for  many  years,  and  employed  in  and  about  the  de- 
pot and  dining  room,  may  be  mentioned  the  late  George 
Vosburgh.  Mr.  Vosbburgh,  tho,  a  colored  man,  was,  for 
many  years  one  of  the  most  respected  men  in  the  city. 
He  owned  valuable  property  in  Chestnut  and  Oregon 
Streets,  and  was  a  leading  member  of  the  Wesleyan  Con- 
gregation, which,  in  those  days,  worshipped  in  a  church 
located  in  Euclid  Avenue,  near  Sheriff  (E  4th)  Street. 

The  late  Thoi-p  Holmes,  colored,  was  head  waiter  in 
the  dining  room.  He  had  under  him  a  force  of  about 
twenty  men,  all  of  whom  admired  and  respected  him.  This 
writer  will  always  honor  and  revere  his  memory,  on  ac- 
count of  kindnesses  extended  to  him,  by  Mr.  Holmes, 
which  enabled  him  to  prosecute  his  studies,  during  the 
intervals  between  the  trains,  without  interruption.  On 
many  occasions,  he  would  call  a  man  who  was  "killing 
time,"  by  playing  "seven  up,"  picking  on  a  banjo,  or 
"cutting  the  pigeon  wing,"  (as  the  dance  was  called), 
and  send  him  on  an  errand,  rather  than  interrupt  the 
writer  in  the  pursuit  of  his  studies. 

96 


In  casting  a  retriepective  glance  over  those  by-gone 
days,  it  is  a  sad  commentary  on  the  course  pursued  by 
that  large  group  of  colored  men,  that,  this  writer  was  the 
only  one  of  them  who  systematically  studied  text-books 
or  even  read  history;  and,  sad  to  relate — the  only  one 
of  them  all  who  changed  his  career. 

Stimulated,  as  I  have  stated  in  the  last  chapter,  by 
kind  friends  to  study  for  the  improvement  of  my  mind, 
I  constantly  perused  the  ''three  R's," — studied  English, 
Latin  annd  French  grammars,  as  best  I  could,  without  a 
teacher,  and,  thereby  rapidly  gained  the  good  will  of  all 
who  knew  me.  My  slight  knowledge  of  the  Latin  language 
was,  on  a  very  important  occasion,  a  source  of  much 
pleasure  to  me,  and  infonnation  to  a  numerous  group  of 
persons  who  surrounded  nie. 

It  was  in  this  way:  The  remains  of  the  late  Abraham 
Lincoln,  were  lying  in  state,  upon  a  catafalque,  near  the 
center  of  our  Public  Square ;  iind  over  the  top  of  the  cata- 
falque was  stretched  a  banner  bearing  the  following  in^ 
scription,  in  Latin:  ''Extinctus  amabitur  idem.'*  All 
were  anxious  to  know  the  meaning  of  those  words;  and. 
ever  and  anon,  they  would  stop  some  important  appear* 
ing  man,  passing  by,  and  exclaim:  ''Say,  Mister!  tell  us 
what  that  means,  will  you!"  Thereupon  the  gentleman 
would  stop,  read  the  words  and  acknowledge  his  inability 
to  translate  the  sentence.  This  was  repeated  several 
times;  until,  finally,  I  looked  up  from  the  grass,  upon 
v/hich  I  was  reclining,  and  said:  "That's  Latin,  I  can  tell 
you  what  it  means!" 

"Who,  you?"  some  one  sarcastically  growled:  "Yes:" 
I  answered: 

"Well,  what  does  it  mean?"  was  the  reply. 

"It  means,"  I  said,  "Tho,  dead,  he  will  be  loved  the 
same!'  " 

Then,  for  a  moment,  I  was  the  object  of  all  eyes,  and 
I  felt  that,  in  the  single  act  of  translating  that  sentiment 

97 


for  the  gix>up,  I  had  been  richly  repaid  for  all  the  study 
and  self-denial  I  had  endured  in  order  to  be  able  to  do  it. 

It  was  customary  with  me,  during  this  period  of  my 
life,  to  write  an  occasional  essay,  on  some  subject, — ab- 
stract, concrete,  moral,  religious  or  what  not;  any 
subject  that  came  within  the  scope  of  my  young,  un- 
tutored mind  claimed  my  attention  and  occupied  my 
time.  One  of  the  contributing  reasons  for  this  was  the 
fact  that,  in  those  days,  large  and  attentive  audiences 
of  my  own  people,  were  ready  and  willing  to  listen  to  the 
reading  of  them,  and  manifested  an  enthusiasm  which 
both  astonished  and  inspired  me. 

My  revered  and  kind  friend  the  Reverend  John  R. 
Warren,  stood  "in  loco  pai-entis,"  to  me ;  and  his  was  the 
only  fatherly  voice  that  counseled  me,  and  hand  that  led 
me  through  those  days  of  mingled  labors,  conflicts,  hopes 
deferred  and,  at  times,  well  nigh  despair.  My  tempera- 
ment was  then,  as  now,  too  nervous.  I  was  willing  to 
work,  incessantly,  to  "bum  the  midnight  oil,"  aye,  to 
burn  the  candle  at  both  ends,"  if  need  be,  in  my  feverish 
quest  after  knowledge.  But,  I  can  see  plainly,  now,  that 
I  lacked  a  preceptor,  some  one  who  would,  like  Philip 
of  old,  expound  to  me  the  meaning  of  many  things  which 
I  blindly  followed,  but  did  not  understand. 

I  did  not  know,  really,  what  books  to  select  to  i*ead. 
And  for  the  lack  of  a  well-informed,  educated  mentor, 
I  wasted  much  time  in  "poring  over"  "books  and  lan- 
guages" which  I  was  not  then  qualified  to  properly  read 
and  mentally  digest.  However,  my  dear  friend,  Elder 
Warren,  who  was  then,  the  elder  in  charge  of  this 
distiict  and  of  Saint  John's  African  Methodist  Church, 
but,  who,  like  me,  had  enjoyed  only  limited  opportunities 
of  gaining  an  education,  by  his  high  regard  for  me  and 
admiration  for  my  efforts  along  that  line,  greatly  en- 
couraged and  aided  me. 

It  was  he,  who  advised  me  to  read  Rollins  Ancient 

98 


History,  which  I  had  not  previously  heard  of,  and  which 
opened  to  my  eyes  so  many  of  the  mysteries  of  the  past ; 
and  the  same  fatherly  regard  for  me,  induced  him  to  open 
wide  for  me  the  doors  of  his  church,  where  I  read  my 
labored  essays,  on  occasions  when  there  were  gatherings 
of  the  young  therein.  Had  my  father  lived  to  rear  me 
and  advise  me  in  respect  of  these  matters,  I  would  not, 
to-day  be  limping  along  the  highway  to  knowledge,  when 
I  should  be  running  and  leaping. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  interest  taken  in  me  by  one 
of  the  boys  who  waited  by  my  side  in  the  old  dining-room, 
I  will  here  relate  an  incident  which  I  shall  ever  hold  in 
grateful  remembrance;  since  it  was  the  outflowing  of  a 
heart  full  of  fraternal  love  and  sympathy. 

Mr.  Joseph  H.  Ricks,  the  youthful  heir  of  a  recently 
deceased  father,  had  in  possession  the  sum  of  one  thou- 
sand dollars,  which  he  had  received  as  his  portion  of  his 
father's  estate;  and,  feeling  that  he  had  no  present  use 
for  the  money,  he  generously  and  unselfishly  came  to  me, 
and  tried  to  persuade  me  to  accept  the  same,  as  a  loan 
and  without  any  security,  or  interest,  whatever,  to  be 
used  by  me  in  forwarding  my  neglected  education.  To 
say  that  I  was  greatly  surprised  at  this  manifestation  of 
unadulterated  friendship,  only  partly  expresses  my  feel- 
ing, at  that  time;  and  I  have  never  ceased  to  wonder  at 
the  whole-souled  magnamimity  of  this  big-hearted  coun- 
try boy.  Would  that  there  were  more  of  his  kind,  to  make 
the  *'whole  world  kin,"  and  add  to  our  mutual  helpfulness 
and  happiness! 

At  length,  after  nearly  seven  years  of  yearning  and 
toil,  we  saw  the  last  payment  made  on  our  humble  home, 
the  deed  executed  and  delivered,  and  the  mortgage 
burned.  Now,  dear  mother  was  assured  of  a  comfortable 
home,  during  the  remainder  of  her  life;  and  I  was  left 
free  to  "shift  for  myself." 

During  all  the  years,  while  I  had  been  working  for 

d9 


the  purchase  of  this  property,  my  energetic,  honorable 
sisters,  Miss  Sarah  Rice  Green  (now  Skeene)  and  Miss 
Kittie  Stanley  Green,  were  industriously  engaged  in 
supporting  niy  mother  and  keeping  up  the  home ;  the  one 
working  at  her  trade  of  a  dress-maker,  both  at  home  and 
in  the  families  of  the  ''well  to  do,"  and  the  other  diligent- 
ly occupying  her  time  at  home,  in  whatever  her  hands 
could  find  to  do. 

Mother,  too,  "ate  no  idle  bread;"  for,  what  with  the 
transacting  of  her  domestic  affairs  and  sewing  on  chil- 
dren's clothes,  for  some  of  her  patrons,  satan  could  find  no 
mischief  for  her  hands  to  do ;  and  so,  she  lived  cozily  and, 
for  the  most  part,  happily,  in  that  unpretentious  home, 
for  twenty-seven  more  years,  until  she  was  in  her  eighty- 
first  year  of  age,  when  she  went  to  rest  in  the  blessed 
hope  of  an  immortal  life. 

"Blessed  are  the  dead,  who  die  in  the  Lord!" 

It  is  but  fair  that  I  should  record  it  here,  that,  my 
dear  sister,  Mrs.  Sarah  Rice  Green  (Skeene),  after  the 
home  was  fully  paid  for,  added  five  or  six  hundred  dollars 
of  her  individual  earnings  to  a  hundred  and  thirty-five 
dollars  which  I  contributed,  and  enhanced  the  conve- 
nience, space  and  comfort  of  the  old  house,  where  they  all 
lived  in  love  and  harmony,  for  many  years. 

One  of  my  employers,  while  I  was  working  for  the 
house,  was  the  late  Captain  J.  M.  Richards,  who,  with  a 
gentleman,  long  since  deceased,  by  the  name  of  Coleman, 
owned  and  conducted  a  combined  restaurant,  saloon,  bil- 
liard-room and  cigar  and  confectionery  stand,  located  on 
the  corner  where  now  stands  the  American  Trust  Build- 
ing. 

This  place  was  a  resort  for  the  best  class  of  men  in 
the  city,  and  did  a  flourishing  business.  During  the  year 
1864,  I  worked  in  the  dining  room  and  "stalls,"  for  a 
while,  quite  to  my  advantage,  and,  on    one   occasion,    a 

100 


humorous  incident  occurred  in  which  I  figured,  which  was 
not  entirely  to  my  credit, — as  1  now  view  it. 

One  of  the  guests  of  the  restaurant  section  of  the 
place,  ordered  a  cocktail.  I  went  into  the  bar-room  (Cap- 
tain  Richards  presiding  behind  the  bar)  and  ordered  two 
cocktails.  The  captain  made  them  (as  only  he  could  make 
them) ,  and  gave  them  to  me,  and,  going  into  the  restau- 
rant, I  gave  the  guest  one  and  I  drank  the  other.  When 
the  captain  scrutinized  the  checks,  he  noticed  that  I  had 
turned  in  a  check  for  one  cocktail,  only.  Coming  into  the 
room,  he  said  to  me,  "John!  what  did  you  do  with  that 
other  cocktail?"  I  frankly,  answered  him,  "I  drank  it!" 
Raising  his  hands  in  astonishment,  he  exclaimed, — "Well 
by  G-d!!  and  walked  away. 

From  Captain  Richards'  place  I  took  employment 
with  J.  H.  DeWitt  &  Co.,  who  carried  a  dual  stock  of  dry 
goods  and  ready-made  clothing,  etc.,  etc.  My  business  was 
that  of  janitor;  and,  in  that  capacity,  it  was  not  only  my 
duty  to  look  after  the  heating  of  the  store,  b"^  also  to 
keep  it  clean,  including  several  hundred  square  feet  of 
window  glass. 

My  desire,  even  here,  to  study  was  so  great  that  I 
was  accustomed  to  arise  at  three-thirty  and  four  o'clock 
a.  m.  in  order  to  "make  time"  for  my  books.  I  had  added 
to  my  studies,  now,  osteology,  hoping  and  expecting, 
some  day,  to  be  a  physician.  A  friendly  doctor  had  given 
ine  the  skull  of  a  little  child,  another  had  contributed  the 
"transverse"  section  of  an  adult  skull;  and  in  addition  to 
these  trophies,  I  had  obtained,  by  various  means,  almost 
an  entire  human  skeleton. 

On  one  occasion,  when  I  was  deeply  absorbed  in  my 
studies,  during  the  hour  v/hich  I  had  made,  by  sacrificing 
my  sleep,  a  message  was  delivered  to  me  to  the  effect 
that,  I  must  deliver  a  bundle  somewhere  in  Prospect 
street.  I  replied  that  it  v/as  not  in  the  line  of  my  employ- 
ment, and  that  I  would  not  deliver  it.    Thereupon,  I  was 

101 


summoned  to  the  office  of  Mr.  DeWitt,  the  senior  member 
of  the  company.  "John,"  he  said,  "you  will  deliver  that 
bundle,  or  else,  go  to  the  cashier  and  get  what  is  due 
you!"  I  said,  "All  right,  Mr.  DeWitt,  I  will  take  my  money 
and  quit,  then!" 

As  I  left  the  store,  Mr.  DeWitt  raised  his  voice  and 
said  to  me,  "Well !  I  suppose,  after  a  while,  you  will  want 
to  have  an  office,  and  sit  in  it  and  read!"  This  was  a  cor- 
rect prophecy ;  for,  it  was  uttered  in  the  summer  of  1865 
and  in  the  fall  of  1870  (September)  I  sat  in  my  own  office 
in  Marlboro  County,  South  Carolina,  recognized  as  a 
m.ember  of  the  Bar  of  that  State. 

Following  my  discharge  from  the  employment  of  The 
J.  H.  DeWitt  Co.,  I  entered  the  office  of  Dr.  J.  W.  Sykes, 
of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  as  a  compounder  of  his  medicines,  for 
chronic  diseases,  with  the  privilege  of  studying,  between 
the  period  of  my  employment,  with  the  occasional  assist- 
ance of  the  good  doctor,  in  my  Latin  studies. 

Dr.  Sykes,  too,  was  a  "self-made"  man,  with  a  heart 
over-flowing  with  sympathy  for  every  struggling  Child 
of  God.  I  say,  "Child  of  God;"  yes,  for  Doctor  Sykes  was 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  good  standing; 
and  judging  him  by  what  I  sav/  of  his  daily  conduct,  dur- 
ing the  six  months  I  was  in  his  employ,  he  was  striving 
to  "glorify  God,  and  enjoy  him  forever,"  which  is  one  of 
the  teachings  of  the  Westminister  Catechism. 

Dr.  Sykes,  when  a  student  at  Hamilton  College, 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  "worked  his  way  through;  and,  para- 
doxical as  it  may  seem,  the  lower  he  stooped,  in  sawing 
wood,  making  fires,  polishing  shoes  and  performing  any 
and  all  menial  labor  which  his  hands  found  to  do,  the  more 
honored  and  admired  he  was;  until,  attaining  his  cher- 
ished goal,  he  was  crowned  "victor,"  by  his  fellow-stu- 
dents and  all  who  had  watched  his  efforts. 

I  soon  found,  in  the  employ  of  Dr.  Sykes,  that,  my  edu- 
cation was  not  such  as  the  studying  of  medicine  required ; 

102 


and  this  was  especially  true  as  regarded  my  knowledge 
of  Latin;  and  the  doctor,  having  been  many  years  out  of 
college,  was  not,  then  qualified  to  instruct  me  therein; 
so,  we  shook  hands,  expressed  for  each  other  gratitude 
and  mutual  respect,  and  separated. 

Returning  to  Cleveland,  I  entered,  for  a  brief  space, 
the  employ  of  the  Cleveland,  Columbus  and  Cincinnati 
Railroad  Company,  as  a  keeper  of  the  castings  and  other 
materials  used  in  the  manufacture  and  repair  of  its  lo- 
comotives and  cars.  Taking  occasion,  once  in  a  while,  to 
make  trips  between  Cleveland  and  Cincinnati,  on  a  Doub- 
leday  sleeping  car  (this  was  before  the  advent  of  the  Pull- 
man car)  in  1865.  The  distance  from  Cleveland  and  Cin- 
cinnati, in  those  days,  was  given  as  two  hundred  and 
fifty  miles,  and  it  required  twelve  hours  to  make  the  trip, 
one  way.  But,  still,  dissatisfied  with  my  lot,  I  left  this  em- 
ployment, in  search  of  a  better  one.  I  turned  my  job  over 
to  the  late  L.  A.  Wilson,  Esq.,  afteryards  a  distinguished 
member  of  the  Ohio  Bar,  in  Cleveland.  -^ 

I  now  began  to  cast  about  for  the  means  of  prosecu- 
ting a  course  of  studies,  under  competent  teachers ;  fully 
determined  to  persevere,  until  I  had  secured  a  thorough 
education,  for  I  had  no  frade  or  other  definite  means  of 
living,  although  I  had  reached  the  twenty-second  year  of 
my  age. 

I  conceived  the  idea  of  having  printed,  in  pamphlet 
form,  some  of  the  essays  of  which  I  have  spoken;  but, 
as  I  was  entirely  without  financial  means,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  find  a  ''friend  in  need,"  or  else  spend  more  precious 
time  in,  laboriously,  earning  some. 

I  was  well  acquainted  with  one  man,  who  was  both 
wealthy  and  benevolent,  a  true  and  tried  friend  of  the 
youthful ;  and  I  decided  that  to  him  I  would  go,  and  make 
teown  my  dilemma,  fully  persuaded  that,  my  appeal 
woald  not  be  in  vain. 

To  have  lived  in  Cleveland,  during  the  second  half  ot 

108 


the  last  century,  and  not  to  have  been  personally  ac- 
quainted with  the  late  Truman  P.  Handy,  would  have 
been  a  distinctive  loss  to  anyone,  especially  to  a  youth  in 
search  of  a  stimulous  along  moral,  esthetic  or  even  finan- 
cial lines ;  for,  Mr.  Handy  was,  above  all  things,  the  friend 
and  promoter  of  "boys"  and  young  men. 

I  first  met  Mr.  Handy  in  the  Mayflower  Sunday  school 
located  in  Orange  Street,  in  the  City  of  Cleveland,  al- 
most contiguous  to  the  "day  school"  of  the  same  name, 
in  the  fall  of  1857,  when  he  was  in  the  fifty-first  year  of 
his  age;  and  from  that  time  until  his  death,  in  the  win- 
ter of  1898,  I  knew  him  to  love  and  respect  him.  I  can 
see  him,  to  this  day,  and  hear  his  cheery  voice  when,  as 
superintendent  of  that  Sunday  School,  he  would  mount 
the  platform  and  exclaim,  "Boys!  what  is  heaven's  first 
law?"  "Order!"  was  the  unanimous  response,  from  th« 
mouths  of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  boys,  who  were 
about  as  disorderly  as  they  could  be.  The  girls,  of 
course,  were  always  orderly.  "Well  then,"  retorted  Mr. 
Handy,  "let  us  have  order,"  and,  immediately  thereafter, 
there  was  a  delightful  calm, — order,  if  you  please. 

One  glance  at  Mr.  Handy  gave  assurance  that  he  was 
a  Christian  gentleman,  after  the  "old  school."  That  is  to 
say,  his  toilet  left  nothing  to  be  added  to  it;  his  dress 
was  made  to  fit,  and  of  the  most  approved  style;  his  de- 
meanor and  general  bearing  was  that  of  a  man  unsel- 
fish, altruistic.  He  was  easily  approachable  by  the  hum- 
blest boy  or  girl;  he  wasted  no  words,  but  gave  a  full 
hearing  and  thorough  consideration  to  the  one  addressing 
iiim ;  and,  in  proper  rases,  afforded  ready  assistance. 

He  was  a  deacon  in  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church, 
of  which  the  Rev.  James  Eells  was  the  pastor ;  loved  God, 
and  always  walked  uprightly.  He  was  born  in  Paris, 
Oneida  County,  New  York  in  March,  1807;  and,  during 
almost  the  whole  of  his  life  time,  was  a  banker,  acting  in 
some  important  capacity;  and  he  owned  large  interests 
in  other  enteiiorises. 

104 


At  the  time  of  Mr.  Handy's  death,  in  January,  1898, 
he  was  ninety-one  years  of  age,  and  was  a  director  of  the 
Merchants'  National  Bank,  which  was  located  on  the 
northeast  corner  of  Superior  and  West  6th  Streets, 
Cleveland,  he  having  resigned  the  presidency  of  that 
bank,  because  of  increasing  age  and  failing  health.  He 
resided  and  transacted  business  in  Cleveland  from  1832 
until  1898 — sixty-six  years.  I  may  state,  in  passing, 
that,  for  ten  years,  Mr.  Handy  was  a  member  of  the 
Cleveland  Board  of  Education  and  did  much  towards  es- 
tabUshing  a  High  School  for  the  city;  and  that,  along 
all  educational  lines,  from  Western  Reserve  University 
down  to  the  humblest  common  school  he  was  a  constant, 
earnest  supporter,  financially  and  otherwise. 

A  few  years  before  the  death  of  Mr.  Handy,  Mr. 
John  D.  Rockefeller  was  visited  at  his  home.  Forest  Hill, 
in  East  Cleveland,  by  a  number  of  the  foremost  capital- 
ists and  men  of  business  of  Cleveland,  who  sought  that 
method  of  manifesting  to  him  their  unbounded  admira- 
tion and  respect  for  him,  as  a  man  and  promoter  of  great 
financial  affairs.  Mr.  Rockefeller,  in  replying  to  the  ad- 
dress tendered  to  him,  took  occasion,  in  his  reminis- 
cences, to  mention  the  name  and  laudable-generous  char- 
actersitics  of  Mr.  Handy,  saying,  amongst  other  things, 
that,  at  a  time,  in  his  early  career  as  an  oil  dealer,  he 
found  himself  sorely  in  need  of  the  sum  of  two  thousand 
dollars ;  and,  after  seeking,  in  vain,  to  secure  the  loan  of 
that  amount,  he  finally,  approached  Mr.  Handy,  who 
loaned  it  to  him.  This  action  on  the  part  of  the  aged 
banker  was  entirely  characteristic  of  him,  and  was  read- 
ily understood  by  all  present 

Quite  naturally,  my  mind  turned  to  Mr.  Handy,  in  my 
quest  of  a  person  at  once  willing  and  able  to  assist  me  in 
my  attempt  to  have  my  essays  published. 

Gaining  access  to  him,  in  his  private  office,  in  the 
rear  of  the  Bank,  he  recognized  me  at  once,  as  "one  of 

105 


his  boys;"  although,  he  had  not  seen  me  for  several 
years.  I  related  to  him  briefly,  what  I  had  been  doing 
during  the  seven  years  previous,  and  received  his  com- 
mendation; then,  I  unfolded  to  him  my  scheme  for  rais- 
ing money  to  "systematize,"  what  education  I  had  se- 
cured,— inasmuch  as,  I  had  no  trade  or  other  definite 
means  of  making  a  living. 

He  gave  my  plan  his  hearty  approval,  provided,  the 
essays  were  w^orthy  of  publication;  and  advised  me  to 
caiTy  them  to  the  late  Professor  J.  H.  Thome,  at  that 
time,  acting  in  the  dual  capacity  of  Professor  in  Oberlin 
College,  and  pastor  of  Pilgrim  Congregational  Church,  in 
this  city.  Paradoxical  as  it  may  seem.  Professor  Thome, 
while,  in  stature,  he  w'as  a  small  man,  w^as,  yet,  a  very 
large  man;  it  is  difficult  to  express  an  opinion  as  to, 
whether  his  brain  or  his  heart  were  the  larger;  of  one 
fact  I  am  certain,  however — he  was  the  friend  of  the 
poor  and  needy  of  every  race,  lor,  he  w^as  truly  cosmopoli- 
tan in  his  thought  and  action. 

''Read  one  of  your  essays!"  exclaimed  the  professor; 
then,  bracing  himself  in  his  easy  chair,  he  listened  atten- 
tively, while  I  read,  with  all  the  elocutionaiy  ability  at 
my  command,  an  essay  entitled,  "We  Are  Never  Alone." 
"Bravo!  Bravo!"  he  almost  shouted,  when  I  had  con- 
cluded the  reading.  "That  will  do."  Then  he  wrote  and 
handed  to  me  a  note  addressed  to  Mr.  Handy,  in  which 
he  said,  amongst  other  things,  "They  are  well  worthy  of 
publication."  (  I  immediately  delivered  the  note  to  Mr. 
Handy,  and  he,  in  turn,  wrote  and  handed  me  a  statement, 
on  a  paper  containing  the  letterhead  of  his  bank,  which 
ran,  somewhat,  as  follow^s: 

"The  bearer  of  this,  is  an  ex-member  of  the  Mayflow- 
er Sunday  School ;  I  have  known  him  from  boyhood,  and, 
have  full  confidence  in  him;  he  is  tiying  to  collect  the 
means  of  publishing  some  essays  which  he  has  w^ritten, 

106 


in  order  that,  by  the  sale  of  them,  he  may  secure  money 
to  assist  him  towards  obtaining  an  education. 

T.  P.  Handy $10 

^'Now,"  he  said,  "go  to  Mr.  Dan  P.  Ells,  and  others  of 
the  Sunday  School,  and,  perhaps,  they  will  also  sub- 
scribe;" and,  turning  to  his  desk,  he  gave  his  attention 
to  his  business ;  while  I,  filled  with  delight,  went  out  into 
the  world  to  see  how  many  others  would  do  likewise. 

I  would  that  I  could  recall  the  names  of  all  the  kind- 
hearted  men  who  signed  that  paper  and  subscribed  sums, 
varying  from  five  to  ten  dollars.    I  can  recall  that,  a  very 
elderly  banker,  whose  hand  shook  like  "an  aspen,"  and 
last  name  was  Otis,  (I  think  the  full  name  was— W.  A. 
Otis)   subscribed  ten  dollars;  A.  S.  Gardner,  a  crockery 
merchant,  and  E.  I.  Baldwin,  large  dry  goods  merchant, 
each  subscribed  ten  dollars ;  the  others,  I  cannot  now  re- 
call.   A  total  of  some  sixty  or  seventy  dollars  was,  in  this 
way  raised  by  me;  then,  I  went  to  Nevin,  a  "job  printer," 
of  standing,  at  that  time,  and  had  the  pamphlets  printed. 
They  were  of  thirty-eight  pages,  fine  print,  on  cheap  pa- 
per, with  red,  and  yellow  covers;  and  had  the  title    of 
them  printed  on  one  side— "Essays    on    Misccellaneous 
Subjects,"  By  a  Self-Educated    Colored    Youth.      These 
essays,  I  offered  for  sale  in  Ohio,  Pennsylvania,  Delaware, 
Maiyland,  New  YorJ^,  New  Jersey  and  the  District  of  Co- 
lumbia,—with  vary^ccess;  receiving  for  single  copies 
of  them,  from  five  cenxs  to  five  dollars. 

I  had  two  experiences  in  the  City  of  Philadelphia, 
during  my  tour,  in  selling  my  pamphlet,  which  were  of 
more  than  ordinary  interest  and  a  lasting  benefit  to  me. 

The  first  was  that  of  meeting  the  Reverend  Benja- 
min 'F.  Tanner,  a  minister  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church,  who, 
at  that  time,  was  editor  of  the  Christian  Recorder,  and 
id  his  residence  over  the  A.  M.  E.  Book-store,  at  631 


107 


Pine  Street.  This  was  in  the  summer  of  1866,  when  that 
reverend  gentleman  was  in  '*the  flower  of  his  youth," 
and  was  winning  golden  laurels  by  his  oratory,  in  the  pul- 
pit, and  his  facile,  trenchant  pen,  in  his  ''sanctum/'  Since 
then,  he  has  reared  and  educated  his  brood  of  children, 
and  grown  to  a  ripe  age,  as  a  bishop,  in  that  church. 

Rev.  Tanner  was  greatly  interested  in  me  and  my 
mission;  he  spoke  encouraging  words  to  me,  and  treated 
me,  in  all  respects,  as  a  brother.  One  mutual  bond  which 
held  us  together  was,  that  he  was  very  much  interested 
in  the  Vulgate  edition  of  the  Scriptures ;  while  I,  too,  was 
a  student  of  Latin,  in  a  humble  way.  Rev.  Tanner  opened 
the  doors  of  Old  Allen  Temple,  which  stood  on  the  site  of 
the  Blacksmith  Shop,  in  which  the  revered  Richard  Al- 
len organized  the  first  A.  M.  E.  Church,  and  scheduled  a 
lecture  for  me,  on  the  subject,  "There's  Always  Room 
Enough  Upstairs." 

The  lecture  room,  which  was  large,  overflowed;  and 
many  could  not  gain  entrance  to  hear  my  lecture;  which 
enabled  me,  at  its  conclusion,  to  sell  a  large  number  of 
pamphlets. 

The  reverend  gentleman  also,  gave  me  a  letter  of  in- 
troduction to  whom  it  concerned,  amongst  the  A.  M.  E. 
clergy,  requesting  them  to  aid  and  encourage  me,  in  my 
efforts  to  sell  my  pamphlet,  and  to  lecture;  this  was  the 
''open  sesame"  to  numerous  churches,  and  aided  me  very 
much.  Tanner,  the  great  artist,  w^hose  canvases  hang  in 
art  galleries  in  Europe  and  America,  is  a  son  of  Bishop 
Tanner;  and,  I  doubt  not,  he  derived  his  afflatus,  his 
genius,  largely  from  his  revered  and  honored  father. 

The  other  incident  was  meeting,  for  the  first  time. 
Reverend  Doctor  Hawes,  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church  of  Philadelphia,  and  Mr.  Theodore  Bliss,  brother 
of  the  late  George  Bliss  of  New  York  City,  merchant, 
philanthropist  and  one  time  partner  of  the  Governor  Levi 
P.  Morton,  of  New  York. 

108 


I  called  on  the  reverend  gentleman  at  his  home,  and 
he  granted  me  an  interview,  in  which  I  disclosed  to  him 
my  plans  for  the  future,  and  the  relation  of  my  mission 
to  them.  He  did  what  every  true  child  of  God  does, — 
every  ''great  big  man," — he  took  my  hand, — gave  expres- 
sion to  words  of  encouragement  and  bade  me  God  speed; 
he  did  more ;  he  mentioned  me  and  my  mission,  in  his  ser- 
mon, on  the  following  day,  and  invited  me  to  meet  him  in 
his  Sunday  School,  in  the  afternoon. 

The  boys  and  girls  accepted  the  invitation,  and  near- 
ly filled  the  Sunday  School  room,  listening  to  my  plea  for 
assistance,  in  my  chosen  way,  for  the  future;  and  I  had 
the  pleasure  of  selling  a  large  number  of  my  little  books, 
at  the  conclusion  of  the  address, — some  thirty-five  dol- 
lars, if  I  mistake  not,  was  the  aggi'egate  amount  received. 
At  the  conclusion  of  my  address,  which  ended  with  a 
thrilling  p^ration  (at  least,  that  was  the  effect  in- 
tended), a  large  gentleman,  of  noble  mein,  arose  and,  in 
clear  tones,  said: 

"Mr.  Superintendent,  will  you  ask  that  young  gentle- 
man to  tell  us,  what  he  thinks  of  Jesus  \"  This  came  with 
great  surprisie;  for  I  had  not  intended  to  ''preach,"  but, 
simply  to  make  an  "unvarnished"  statement  of  my  plans 
and  hope  and — expectations ;  nevertheless,  I  was  equal  to 
the  emergency.  I  arose  again,  and  answered,  briefly  but 
forcibly,  that,  neither  education,  money  nor  social  place 
could  avail  a  person,  if  he  were  not  imbued  with  the  spirit 
of  Jesus  Christ,  as  manifested  in  his  daily  life.  This 
seemed  to  satisfy  every  one,  and  I  left  the  Church  highly 
elated. 

The  most  important  result,  for  me,  growing  out  of 
this  meeting,  however,  was  my  introduction  to  Mr.  Theo- 
dore Bliss,  as  I  have  stated  above.  I  was  invited  to  meet 
him  at  his  office,  then  in  a  building  in  Fourth  Street, 
where  he  carried  on  the  business  of  a  publisher;  indeed, 
I  hold  in  my  hand  now  a  little  Greek  Testament  from  the 

109 


press  of  Theodore  Bliss  &  Co.,  which  I  have  owned  ever 
since  1865. 

Mr.  Theodore  BUss  was  what  we  commonly  call  a 
self-made  man.  He  was  sent  out  into  the  world  at  an  early 
age,  to  shift  for  himself,  and  that  rich,  puritan  blood 
which  coursed  in  his  arteries  caiTied  him  through,  to  the 
end.  He  was  large  of  stature,  with  a  high,  broad  forehead 
and  firmly  set  jaws;  which  proved  him  to  be  a  man  of 
high  purpose,  fixed  resolution  and  great  good  judgment 
and  energy.  His  eyes  looking  out  from  under  heavy 
brows,  were  clear  and  penetrating;  marking  him  as  a 
man,  at  once,  judicious  and  practical. 

Mr.  Bliss  said  to  me,  in  substance:  "Go  home,  settle 
down;  find  some  useful,  remunerative  employment,  to 
engage  your  intervals  between  the  terms ;  and,  if,  by  fol- 
lowing my  advice,  you  find  yourself  in  need  of  the  necessi- 
ties of  life,  write  to  me  and  I  will  help  you."  I  thanked 
him  and  took  my  departure. 

Later  on  in  life,  while  attending  school,  I  once  in  a 
while,  found  my  toes  peeping  out  from  my  "boots,"  and 
Jack  Frost,  "Through  each  crack  and  crevice  creeping;" 
upon  two  or  three  occasions  like  this,  I  notified  my  friend, 
and  the  returning  mail  invariably  brought  me  a  ten-dollar 
bill,  the  exact  cost  price  of  a  pair  of  new  boots. 

-  There  was  another  good  friend  in  Philadelphia,  whose 
acquaintance  I  made,  through  the  courtesy  and  kindness 
of  the  Rev.  William  Alston,  Episcopal  priest,  of  whom  I 
have  spoken  at  length,  in  the  first  chapter,  I  refer  to  a 
large  dealer  in  wooden  and  willow  ware,  whose  warehouse 
was  located  down-town,  in  Market  Street,  by  the  name  of 
Jacobus,  if,  I  mistake  not.  This  gentleman,  who  was 
largely  interested  in  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad,  at  that 
time,  extended  to  me  an  invitation  to  take  a  theological 
course,  for  the  Episcopal  ministry,  but  I  declined,  with 
thanks.  I  have  suspected,  since  then,  that  I  made  a  mis- 
take, for,  I  fear,  I  spoilt  a  good  preacher  (as  well  as    a 

110 


o-ood  doctor)  in  making  a  poor  lawyer ;  subsequently,  this 
same  gentleman  procured  for  me  a  ''clergyman's"  rail- 
road ticket,  from  Philadelphia  to  my  Cleveland  home. 

Arriving  home,  I  gave  my  dear  mother  one  hundred 
and  thirty-five    ($135.00)  dollars,  of  the  money  received 
in  my  wanderings;  and  then  began  to  scan  the  field  to 
discover  a  school  into  which  I  could  matriculate,  in  order 
to  do  the  "systematizing,"  of  which  I  spoke  to  Mr.  Handy. 
I  had  a  consuming  desire  to  enter  a  class  in  the  Central 
High  School ;  but,  how  could  a  waiter-boy  coming  directly 
from  the  dining  room,  where  he  had  been  for  six  or  seven 
years,  expect  to  pass  examination  and  enter  that  famous 
school?  I  say  "famous,"  yes,  and  advisedly,  for  then,  the 
chairs  were  occupied  by  such  ripe  scholars  as  the  follow^- 
ing:  Dr.  Theodore  Sterling,  principal;  Professor  Sidney 
A.  Noi-ton;  Miss  Maiy    E.  Ingersall;    Miss    Emma    G. 
Barriss,  subsequently,     Mrs.  Colonel     McAlister,     Miss 
White,  Pi-ofessor  Carl  Kruger,  Professor  Theodore  Hop- 
kins, and  others.  And  amongst  the  students  were  such  as 
Chas.  F.  Brush,  Horace  Andrews,  Samuel  Mather,    Dr. 
John  Lowman,  W.  E.  Cushing,  Harvey  D.  Goulder,  Joseph 
Outhwaite,  Clarence  Stilson,  Solomon  Schwab,  the  late 
Mr.  C.  0.  Bassett,  afterwards,  well  known  and  appreciated 
by  me,  as  the  president  of  the  great  Forman  Bassett  Co. ; 
of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  who  by  his  great    business    ability, 
sterling  integrity  and  great  good  humor,  put  his  house  at 
the  head  of  all  similar  organizations  in  Ohio ;  and  a  num- 
ber of  ambitious,  successful  young  ladies.  In  those  days, 
Mr.  Mather's  sterling  qualities  as  a  student  were  already 
quite  noticeable;  and,  even  then,  his  generous  impulses, 
as  manifested  during  his  intercourse  amongst  his  fellow- 
students,  forecasted  his  future  life  of    usefulness    and 
bix)ad    humanitarianism. 

I  saw  more  of  Mr.  Mather  in  the  Virgil  Class  than 
elsewhere;  and  it  was  then,  easily  evident  to  my  mind, 
that,  his  superior  quality  of  intellect  and  his  deep  touch 

111 


of  nature  were  destined  to  stamp  him  as  one  of  our  na- 
tion's greatest  and  most  useful  m.en.  I  never  see  Mr. 
Mather,  even  at  this  late  day,  without  recalling  the  manly 
port  and  dignified  bearing  of  his  distinguished  father. 

The  late  deceased  William  E.  Gushing,  was  also,  one 
of  the  Class  of  1869,  who,  in  after  years,  became  con- 
spicuous, because  of  his  sterling  manhood  and  profession- 
al ability.  '"Will"  Gushing,  frequently  invited  me  to  visit 
him  at  the  home  of  his  late  father,  Dr.  H.  K.  Gushing, 
in  Euclid  Avenue,  near  the  Public  Square,  where  we 
strove  with  varying  success,  to  unravel  the  mysteries 
of  Virgil,  together.  I  mourn  his  loss. 

My  old  maxim  was,  "Naught  venture,  naught  have." 
or,  as  we  sometimes  say,  "Nothing  venture,  nothing  win." 
So,  straight  to  the  school  I  went,  and,  at  a  convenient 
time,  I  stood  in  the  august  presence  of  Doctor  Sterling, 
who  questioned  me,  as  to  the  nature  and  extent  of  the 
studies  which  I  had  prosecuted,  and  accepted  one  of  my 
pamphlets,  which  I  offered  him;  and  closed  the  confer- 
ence between  us,  by  inviting  me  to  visit  him  at  his  home, 
the  evening  of  that  day,  for  a  further  intei'view. 

At  his  home,  in  the  evening,  Dr.  Sterling  said  to  me. 
in  substance;  "Green,  you  have  done  well  in  your  studies 
without  an  instructor,  as  I  have  gleaned  from  a  hurried 
perusal  of  your  little  book;  but,  your  studies  have  not 
been  systematically  persued,  and  I  am  certain  you  could 
not  pass  an  examination  to  enter  the  high-school ;  but,  I 
will  give  you  a  list  of  books  which  you  will  need,  and  you 
may  obtain  them  and  come  to  the  school,  tomorrow  fore- 
noon and  I  wdll  see  where  I  can  place  you." 

I  did  a,s  directed,  and  on  the  following  day,  in  the 
month  of  October,  I  think,  I  found  myself  duly  installed. 
in  the  sophomore  class  of  the  Cleveland  Central  High 
School,  which  was  still  located  in  Euclid  Avenue,  near 
East  9th  Street,  where  the  gi'eat  Citizen's  Savings  and 
Trust  Company  is  now  located. 

112 


In  this  class,  which  was  composed  of  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  some  of  the  foremost  citizens  of  Cleveland, 
I  was  the  only  colored  pupil;  but  my  color,  evidently,  was 
not  considered,  in  any  way.  Dr.  Sterling  and  every  mem- 
ber of  his  learned  corps  of  instructors,  were  ''color  blind'' 
and  the  only  watchword  recognized  by  them  was  merit. 

The  studies  which  the  class  was  engaged  in,  as  near- 
ly as  I  can  recall,  were  Cornelius  Nepos,  in  Latin,  Algebra, 
Geometry,  English  History,  English  Composition,  Physi- 
cal Geography,  Calesthenics  and  Rhetoricals.  Later  on  in 
the  course  we  had  (I  had)  Chemestry,  Physics  and  Greek, 
— Xenophon's  Anabysis,  and  one  thousand  lines  of  Hom- 
er's Iliad. 

It  took  me  from  October  1866  to  July  1869,  to  devour 
thefour  year's  course;  and,  it  was  said,  I  stood  at  the 
"finish",  well  near  the  head  of  the  class,  which  contained 
some  names  which  have,  since  become  famous,  but,  I  have 
never  felt  that  I  was  as  thoroughly  grounded  in  my 
studies  as  the  other  members  of  the  class  were;  for,  1 
entered  the  class  late;  I  was  not  properly  prepared  for  the 
courses  which  I  studied;  I  did  not  have  adequate  time  in 
which  to  prepare  my  lessons;  and  above  all,  I  felt  then 
and  still  believe,  that  some  of  the  students  were  my  in- 
tellectual superiors. 

While  I  attended  the  High  School,  Dr.  Sterling  per- 
mitted me  to  leave  the  room  ten  minutes  before  the  others 
were  dismissed,  at  noon,  in  order  that  I  mjo-ht  reach  the 
hotel  and  earn  my  dinner,  in  the  dining  room,  as  a  waiter ; 
and  during  the  time  I  was  studying  Greek,  I  slept  in  a 
garret,  sharing  the  bed  of  a  man  who  had  a  terribly  dis- 
eased scalp,  in  order  to  obtain  a  free  lodging,  and  hus- 
band my  small  means.  I  regularly  arose  at  three  (3) 
o'clock  a.  m.  and  by  the  uncertain  light  of  a  small  pear- 
shaped  oil  lamp  with  one  round  wick,  I  studied  my  Greek 
lessons,  in  order  that  I  might  be  ready  to  serv  e  in  the 
dmmg  room,  for  my  breakfast,  at  the  sound  of  the  bell. 

113 


During  the  first  year  of  my  attendance,  in  the  High 
School,  I  worked  a  second  time,  in  the  old  Union  Depot 
dining  room,  for  my  board.  I  waited  on  sixteen  (16) 
depot  officials  and  clerks  every  morning,  and  when  I  sug- 
gested that,  since  I  received  my  board  only  for  all  this 
work,  1  ought  to  be  allowed  to  sweeten  my  cup  of  coffee 
with  white,  granulated  sugar,  the  head  waiter  (not  Thorp 
Holmes)  forbade  me  to  use  it,  restricting  me  to  some 
very  dark-browTi  sugar.  I  appealed  to  Mr.  Wheeler.  He 
sustained  the  decision  of  the  head  v/aiter,  and  I  quit  him 
and  went  to  the  old  Birch  House,  then  located  on  the  east 
side  of  West  9th  street,  near  the  corner  of  Frankfort 
street  and  presided  over  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gillett,  kind  and 
generous  people,  who,  I  fear,  have  long  since  gone  to  their 
rich  reward. 

Mrs.  Gillett's  father,  ''Father  Birch"  was  very  old 
and  feeble.  I  had  the  honor  and  pleasure  of  watching  over 
him  the  v/hole  of  one  night  and,  hourly  administering  to 
him  his  prescribed  medicine.  In  his  youth.  Father  Birch 
had  been  personally  acquainted  with  Chancellor  Kent, 
whose  voluminous  and  learned  commentaries  were  famil- 
iar to  all  students  of  law,  a  generation  ago. 

Mr.  Byron  Hunt,  a  handsom^e,  good  natured  speciman 
of  manhood,  later  on,  when  I  was  a  husband  and  father, 
loaned  me  five  dollars,  after  all  other  "friends"  had  failed 
me.  In  gratitude,  I  shall  carry  the  memory  of  his  kind- 
riess  to  my  grave  v/ith  me. 

During  all  the  time  of  my  High  School  experiences,  I 
devoted  a  number  of  my  nights  to  waiting  on  parties  and 
weddings.  I  shall  never  forget,  that,  when  the  late  Sena- 
tor M.  A.  Hanna  and  his  beautiful  bride,  the  daughter  of 
the  late  Dan  P.  Rhodes,  were  married,  I  was  one  of  those 
who,  in  the  dining  room.,  ministered  to  their  wants;  the 
same  is  true  as  regards  the  wedding  of  Col.  Harris  of  the 
United  States  Army  and  a  lovely  daughter  of  the  late 
Stilman  Witt,  a  sister,  I  think,  of  Mrs.  Dan  P.  Eells,  of 

114 


this  city.  By  the  way,  when  I  was  graduated  and  had 
floral  offerings  literally  rained  down  on  me  (37),  I  wore 
one  of  the  late  Dan  P.  Eells'  discarded  coats,  given  to  me 
by  Mrs.  Eells.  It  w^as  a  dark  brown  broadcloth  coat. 


115 


CHAPTER  VI.  ^ 

SOJOURNING  IN   DIXIE   LAND. 

On  the  day  following  my  graduation,  I  found  myself 
acclaimed  in  the  daily  newspapers  and  by  my  friends, 
generally,  as  being  little  less  than  a  hero,  for  my  address 
on  the  night  previous,  had  been  on  the  subject  **The  True 
Hero",  and,  by  all  classes  of  our  citizens,  without  regard 
to  race  or  color,  I  was  congratulated  and  praised  for  such 
success  as  I  had  attained  to.  There  had  been  a  tendency 
on  the  part  of  persons  who  were  friendly  to  the  inter- 
ests of  the  Freedmen,  to  encourage  my  efforts  during  my 
course  at  the  High  School,  and,  if  I  had  not  succeeded,  it 
would  not  have  been  for  the  lack  of  sympathy  and  good 
will. 

A  rather  humorous  incident  occurred  on  an  occasion 
when  I  was  the  invited  guest  of  some  of  the  colored  people 
of  Akron,  Ohio,  as  their  speaker,  in  1867  when  the  late 
General  Bierce  was  mayor  of  that,  now  large,  populous 
and  wealthy  city.  • 

When  the  hall  was  well  filled  and  the  time  was  op- 
portune, Mr.  Morgan,  one  of  Akron's  foremost  colored 
citizens,  arose  and  said,  in  substance,  that  he  was  happy 
to  have  present  with  them,  a  young  man  who  was  making 
a  manful  struggle  to  secure  an  education,  after  having, 
i5rst  bought  a  home  for  his  widowed  mother.  **A  true 
hero!"  shouted  Mr.  Morgan;  then,  extending  his  right 

116 


hand  and  waving  it,  in  an  inviting  way,  he  exclaimed: 
"Hero,  Come  Forth!!" 

Since  then,  I  have  been  introduced  to  many  audiences 
but  none  that  I  can  now  recall,  carried  with  it  the  fervor 
and  admiration  of  Mr.  Morgan's. 

In  very  truth,  I  did  not  feel,  on  the  day  "after  grad- 
uation" that  I  had  accomplished  much ;  and,  for  the  first 
time,  the  true  significance  of  the  term,  "commencement" 
as  applied  to  the  graduating  exercises  of  High  Schools, 
and  Colleges,  dawned  on  me,  for,  it  is  the  commencement 
of  a  course  in  a  college,  or  of  the  studying  of  a  profession, 
for  the  future,  and  the  individual  who,  graduating  from  an 
institution  of  learning,  imagines  that  he  has  finished,  is 
grievously  mistaken,  for  he  has  only  commenced. 

My  old  and  esteemed  friend,  the    late    Andrew    J. 
RickofF,  Esquire,  for  many  years,  superintendent  of  the 
schools  of  Cleveland,  came  to  me  and  advised  me  to  study 
law;  "It  will  be  just  the  thing  for  you,"  he  said.  Also, 
came  the  late  Judge  Jesse    P.    Bishop,    successful    and 
wealthy   lawyer,  and  deacon  in  the  First  Baptist  church, 
who  extended  to  me  an  invitation  to  occupy  a  desk  in  his 
office,  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  the  late  Cap- 
tain Seymour  F.  Adams ;  a  gentleman  and  scolar,  for  the 
purpose  of  studying  law.  Had  I  known  then  what,  I  know 
now,  that  no  man  need  expect  to  be  a  successful  attorney 
at  the  bar,  in  the  full  significance  of  that  term,  who  has  no 
social  intercourse  with  the  business  world,  I  would  have 
declined  the  kind  offer,  with  thanks,  and  betaken  myself 
to  the  study  of  medicine  or  theology,  but,  being  ignor- 
ant, in  the  premises,  I  "jumped  at  the  offer,"  entered  his 
office,  and,  thereby,  I  suspect,  I  "spoiled  a  good  doctor  or 
preacher,  in  making  a  poor  lawyer." 

I  Hterally,  devoured  Blackstone,  Kent,  Bishop,  Byles, 
Stephen,  Parsons,  and  other  great  commentaries  on  the 
English  and  American  law,  during  the  ensuing  four 
months,  reading,  as  I  truly  believe,  by  day  and  by  night, 

117 


^\e]\  nigh  as  much  as  the  average  reader  would  cover  in 
a  year. 

One  fine  day,  in  stalked  a  man,  who  from  his  personal 
appearance,  proved  himself  to  be  "facile  princeps" — 
easily  first,  amongst  civilized  men.  He  was  tall  and  of 
commanding  stature,  with  a  frontal  and  cranial  develop- 
ment which  might  have  turned  even  Webster  green  with 
envy.  The  remainder  of  the  hair  surrounding  his  bald 
dome,  was  thin  and  fair ;  while  above  his  classic  features, 
peering  forth  from  shaggy  brows,  were  his  deep  set  eyes, 
penetrating  and  knowing.  Meet  the  Honorable  (General) 
John  Crowell,  lawyer,  ex-congressman — then  president 
and  factotum  of  the  Union  Law  College,  located  in 
Rouse's  block,  top  story,  northwest  corner  of  Superior 
Avenue  and  the  Public  Square ! 

''Young  man!''  he  said,  "what  are  you  doing?"  I 
answered,  "I  am  reading  law."  "Why  don't  you  come  up 
to  the  college?"  he  replied.  "Because,  I  have  no  money;" 
I  rejoined.  Thereupon,  he  quite  generously  extended  to  me 
an  invitation  to  become  one  of  his  class.  "And,"  he  added, 
"when  you  get  into  the  practice,  you-can  pay  me." 

Needless  to  say,  I  took  advantage  of  his  kind  offer, 
vrithout  delay.  I  joined  his  class,  in  which  I  found  already 
entei'ed  a  number  of  fin^  young  men,  amongst  whom,  I 
can  now  recall,  Cullen  Coats,  late  a  justice  of  the  peace 
and  lawyer  of  Cleveland  To\v]iship;  Hon.  J.  T.  Carver, 
now  presiding  judge  of  the  Sandusky-Fremont  district; 
Augustus  Zehring,  successful  lawyer  and  the  late  R.  L. 
Holden,  who  died  in  ministerial  orders,  in  C.  W. 

Fifty-one  years  have  elapsed  since  those  halcyon 
days  glided  by,  but,  I  can  never  forget  the  great  pleasure 
and  profit  which  I  derived  from  the  fraternal  intercourse 
which  I  found  in  the  midst  of  those  big-hearted,  kindly 
disposed  young  men.  They  seemed  anxious  and  willing  to 
aid  me  in  every  way.    I  love  the  memory  of  them. 

I  am  reminded  of  a  humorous  anecdote  which,  in  those 

118 


days,  was  related,  once  h}  a  while,  with  the  approval  of 
General  Crowell,  which  I  will,  here,  insert ;  for  great  and 
learned  as  was  "Prexy",  he  was  not  "thin  skinned."  It  was 
in  this  wise: 

''Once  upon  a  time,"  when  the  general  was  a  candi- 
date for  Cpngress,  he  was  anxious  to  secure  the  friendly 
co-operation  of  an  old  acquaintance,  w^ho  was  not  aiding 
him,  in  any  respect;  so,  he  gave  a  dinner,  to  which  was 
invited  as  many  of  the  "independents"  as  he  could  per- 
suade to  attend. 

The  piece  de  resistance,  on  the  well-filled  table,  was 
a  "suckling  pig,"  of  which  the  luke-warm  friend  ate  quite 
ravenously.  At  this  point,  the  auditors  were  wont  to  ask : 
"General,  did  he  vote  for  you?*'  To  which  the  General 
replied :  "D — n  him !  He  voted  against  me  with  my  pig  in 
his  belly!" 

Judge  Garver,  who  was  elected  because  of  his  merit, 
as  displayed  at  the  bar,  and  as  prosecuting  attorney  of  his 
county,  has  proven  that  the  electors  made  no  mistake  in 
elevating  him.  to  that  distinguished  and  useful  position. 

When  I  visited  Fremont,  some  years  ago,  he  met  me 
at  the  station,  and,  in  his  own  private  conveyance, 
"showed  me  the  town,"  so  to  speak.  A  rare  treat,  indeed. 
Afterw^ards,  he  conducted  me  to  his  own  home,  assigned 
me  to  his  guest  chamber,  seated  me  at  his  dining  table 
with  the  other  mem.bers  of  his  family,  and  made  me,  in 
other  respects,  quite  comfortable  and  happy. 

Just  fifty  years  subsequent  to  our  school  days  at  the 
Union  Law  College,  Judge  Garver  was  assigned  by  a  jus- 
tice of  our  State  Supreme  Court,  to  preside  over  one  of 
the  branches  of  our  Common  Pleas  Court  in  Cleveland, 
to  assist  in  "cleaning  up"  our  over-crowded  docket.  When 
becoming  aware  of  his  presence,  in  my  home  town,  I  ex- 
tended to  him,  and  our  beloved  Hon.  Willis  Vickery,  one 
of  the  judges  of  our  Court  of  Appeals,  an    invitation    to 

119 


visit  U3  at  our  home  and  dine  with  us  and  several  others 
of  our  intimate  friends. 

To  our  very  great  gratification,  both  gentlemen  ac- 
cepted the  invitation,  and  we  were  all,  honored  by  their 
presence  and  society  during  the  greater  portion  of  one 
pleasant  summer  afternoon.  To  say  that  we  were  all 
elated — highly  pleased,  only  partially  expresses  our  feel- 
ings on  that  occasion. 

Speaking  for  the  colored  members  of  the  Cuyahoga 
County  Bar,  I  think  I  make  no  mistake  in  saying  that, 
at  all  times  since  Judge  Vickery's  promotion  to  a  judicial 
position,  he  has  manifested  for  us  a  friendliness  which 
has  vvon  from  us  for  him,  not  only  profound  respect,  but 
feelings  of  gratitude  bordering  on  love  and  affection ;  for 
he  has  generously  thrown  into  our  hands  thousands  of 
dollars,  which  were  needed,  and  save  for  his  action,  would 
never  have  come  within  our  grasp. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  fleeting  months,  our  course 
completed,  we  received  our  diplomas,  duly  signed  by  all 
the  members  of  the  faculty,  and  carrying  the  seal  of  the 
college  on  it;  and,  almost  like  Milton's  description  of  the 
eviction  of  Adam  and  Eve,  from  the  Garden  of  Eden,  we 
t^ok  our  leave  of  the  General  and  his  College: 

"The   world  was  all  before  us  where  to   choose 
Our  place  of  rest,  and  Providence  our  guide; 
We,  hand  in  hand,  with  wandering  steps  and  slow. 
Through  Cleveland  took  our  solitary  way." 

During  the  time  I  attended  the  law  college  and 
'-ead  in  Judge  Bishop's  office,  I  supported  myself  by  work- 
1  ng  in  the  restaurant  and  confectionery  of  N.  Heisel  &  Son, 
underneath  the  judge's  law  offices;  and  also,  by  doing  the 
:anitor  work,  for  the  late  W.  C.  McFarland,  in  his  law 
Tice.  A  portion  of  the  time  I  slept  on  a  couch  in  the 
'    nk  of  the  late  George  W.  Wright,  banker,  broker,  etc. 

120 


Now,  I  had  two  diplomas;  but,  as  yet,  no  "visible 
means"  of  support,  other  than  that  of  waiting  on  table. 

I  almost  blush  (?)  to  tell  it;  but  truth  is  great,  etc. 
I  married  when  I  was  in  my  twenty-fifth  year  of  age,  and 
with  only  three  (3)  dollars  at  my  command;  and  the 
happy  bride  was  the  fortunate  possessor  of  the  sum  of 
three  and  50-100  dollars ;  but,  she,  like  me,  had  a  place  of 
useful  employment ;  and  we  were  happy  and  hopeful,  in  the 
love  and  confidence  of  each  other. 

Before  long,  a  dear  cousin  of  mine,  residing  in  the 
"Palmetto  State",  South  Carolina,  having  heard  of  m:^ 
varied  successes,  but  being  ignorant  of  my  marriage, 
wrote  to  me,  extending  an  invitation  to  me,  to  come  and 
be  his  guest,  until  I  could  select  one  of  three  places  of 
employment,  then  vacant,  and  awaiting  my  arrival;  and 
elated  by  the  prospect  of  entering  upon  speedy  and  remu- 
nerative employment,  my  little  wife  and  I  began  to  pre- 
pare to  exchange  our  residence,  temporarily,  for  that  of 
the  mild  and  sunny  south. 

Some  of  my  old  school-mates  and  well  wishers,  of 
both  races,  hearing  of  our  proposed  removal,  tendered  us 
a  reception,  in  a  hall,  near  the  Public  Square ;  and,  in  re- 
turn for  music  and  oratorical  pyrotechnics,  contributed 
a  snug  httje  sum,  which  we  used  for  the  purchase  of 
tickets,  as  far  on  our  route  as   Wilmington,  N.  C. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  impression  which  the  white 
sand  made  on  my  mind,  when,  in  the  gentle  moon-Hght, 
our  train  stopped,  in  the  suburbs  of  Wilmington,  on  one 
January  eve,  1870.  We  both  thought  it  was  snow,  al- 
though in  the  car,  we  were  quite  comfortable;  but,  im- 
agine our  suii)rise,  when  on  alighting,  we  discovered  it 
was  beautiful  white  sand,  instead.  As  we  were  being 
driven  to  the  residence  of  our  hospitable  friends, — the 
Sampsons,  long  time  residents  of  Wilmington  and  intelli- 
gent and  wealthy,  withal,  we  preceived  that,  instead  of 

121 


being  frigid,  as  we  felt  it,  twenty-four  hours  before,  in 
Oeveland,  the  atmosphere  was  delightfully  balmy. 

These  good  people,  former  friends  and  associates  of 
my  deceased  father  and  my  mother,  tendered  us  a  royal 
reception;  which  put  us  perfectly  at  our  ease,  and  per- 
suaded us  to  believe  that  the  longer  we  remained  their 
guests  the  better  they  would  be  pleased;  thus  manifest- 
ing the  proverbial  hospitality  of  the  southern  people  of 
both  races. 

The  late  Mr.  James  Sampson,  founder  of  the  family^ 
was  a  colored  man  w^ho  was  held  in  high  repute  and  re- 
spect, even  by  the  slave-holders,  before  the  emancipa- 
tion ;  and  they  not  only  permitted  him  to  v/alk  the  streets 
of  the  city  after  the  "cuifew  bell,"  but,  respected  passes 
signed  by  him  for  other  colored  persons.  He  was  a  build- 
er, by  trade  and  profession,  and  himself  occupied  with  his 
family,  one  of  the  most  comfortable  residences  there, 
which  I  am  informed,  is  still  standing. 

One  of  his  sons,  the  late  Professor  Benjamin  Kellogg 
Sampson,  who  was  graduated  from  Oberlin  College,  in  the 
latter  "fifties,"  was  a  scholar  and  an  orator  of  note;  for 
several  years  in  the  "sixties,"  he  w^s  principal  of  Averj 
Institute,  located  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  Subsequently,  he 
took  charge  of  the  colored  schools  of  Memphis,  Tenn., 
where,  after  many  years  of  faithful  sei-vice,  he  died  re- 
gretted and  mourned  by  all. 

John  P.  Sampson,  another  son,  was  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel,  and  served  faithfully,  many  years,  with  honor  and 
success,  at  Orange,  N.  J.  Then,  there  were  Joseph,  who 
was  recorder  of  deeds,  of  Wilmington,  during  the  re- 
construction period;  and  James,  George  and  Nathan,  all 
worthy  men;  also,  Susie,  Fannie,  Mary  and  Minerva,  all 
well  and  happily  married. 

Uix>n  the  whole,  the  Sampsons  were  one  of  the  most 
honorable,  successful  and  conspicuous  families  that  ex- 

122 


isted  in  any  of  our  ''slave  states"  before,  during  and  sub- 
sequent to  the  Civil  War. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Duncan  Holmes,  were  very  dear  friends 
while  we  remained  in  Wilmington,  and  did  all  that  big- 
hearted,  generous  people  could  do,  to  make  our  visit  both 
comfortable  and  pleasant.  There  was  a  gentleman,  long 
since  deceased,  William  Kellogg,  by  name  (the  father  of 
Mr.  John  Kellogg) ,  for  many  years,  trustee  and  chorister 
in  Mount  Zion  Congregational  church,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
who  was  elected  one  of  the  aldermen  of  the  city  of  Wil- 
mington, which  we  all  considered  an  honor:  for  to  be  one 
of  the  city  "fathers,"  is  an  honor  conferred  on  any  man. 

Now,  Mr.  Kellog  (a  colored  man)  had,  for  years,  been 
in  the  employ  of  0.  G.  Parsley  &  Co.,  merchants,  in  some 
subordinate  capacity;  and  when,  after  his  election,  Mr. 
Parsley  addressed  him  as  plain  "William,"  he  took  excep- 
tion saying,  "My  name,  now  is  Mr.  Kellogg."  "Well 
then/'  replied  his  employer,  "if  your  name  is  'Mr.  Kellogg' 
you  can  get  out  of  my  place ;  for  I  don't  want  any  'Mister' 
doing  the  work  which  you  are  employed  to  do!"  and  Mr. 
Kellogg,  thereupon,  left  the  ^tore  of  his  old  employer. 

We  colored  friends,  considered  Mr.  Parsley's  treat- 
ment of  Mr.  Kellogg,  unjust  and  uncalled  for.  But,  I 
suppose,  v/hen  one  considers  that,  the  knell  of  the  "South- 
era  Confederacy"  had,  so  recently,  been  sounded,  the 
slaves  manumitted,  and,  in  some  instances,  placed  in 
official  stations,  the  conduct  of  that  gentleman  was  quite 
natural. 

On  invitation  of  two  former  associates,  Messers  Robert 
and  Cicero  Harris,  who  had  gone  from  Cleveland  to  Fay- 
etteville,  N.  C,  where  they  founded  the  State  Normal 
School,  I  sailed  up  the  Cape  Fear  River,  to  that  old  and 
noted  city.  Fayetteville  was  doubly  endeared  to  me  by  the 
dual  facts  that,  my  dear  parents,  were  married  there  in 

123 


1837  and  there  were  a  host  of  good  people,  residing  there, 
to  whom  I  was  related,  by  ties  of  blood. 

The  reception  tendered  me,  by  everyone  who  knew 
me,  was  more  cordial  than  I  had  anticipated;  which  is 
saying  much,  and  the  memory  of  it  will  always  remain 
£Teen. 

When  I  appeared  on  the  platform,  in  the  church 
where  my  lecture  was  delivered,  at  a  signal  from  Mr. 
Robert  Harris,  the  principal,  the  large  audience,  consist- 
ing, in  great  part,  of  the  students  of  the  school,  began  to 
sing,  lustily: 

"Johnnie  Green  has  come  to  town! 
"Johnnie  Green  has  come  to  town! 
Ho!    Ho!    for  Johnnie  Green!" 

By  this  manifestation  of  regard  and  sympathy,  I 
was  greatly  pleased;  and  considered  myself  highly  hon- 
ored and  the  result  of  the  collection  which  was  "lifted," 
enabled  me  to  pay  our  fare  the  remaining  distance  to  our 
South  Carolina  destination.  Mr.  Robert  Harris,  the  prin- 
cipal of  that  noted  school  married  a  beautiful  little  lady, 
an  ex-member  of  the  school,  whose  name  was  Mary  Green. 
I  regret  to  state  that,  he  died  in  the  flower  of  his  man- 
hood, while  he  was  engaged  in  the  performance  of  his 
truly  valuable  educational  duties,  so  essential,  at  that 
time,  for  the  welfare  of  the  colored  people  of  that  state; 
his  brother  and  assistant,  Mr.  Cicero  Harris,  subsequent- 
ly, became  a  minister  of  the  Gospel ;  and,  by  reason  of  his 
extraordinary  intelligence  and  conspicuous  piety,  was  or- 
dained a  bishop  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Zion  church ;  which  posi- 
tion he  held  and  actively  served,  until  his  recent  death. 

Those  who  knew  Bishop  Harris  best,  who  v/ere  most 
closely  related  to  him  in  his  life  work,  declared  that,  they 
had  never  heard  escape  from  his  lips  a  word  which  would 
have  offended  the  ears  of  the  most  refined  lady  or  gentle- 
man.  This  was  the  testimony  of  Mr.  Charles  W.    Ches- 

124 


nutt,  the  famous  author,  who,  in  his  boyhood  and  youth 
was  under  the  daily  instruction  of  the  two  brothers ;  and^ 
who,  ultimately,  succeeded  to  the  principalship  of  the 
school ;  and,  also,  of  this  writer,  who  Imew  and  associated 
with  them  both,  when  they  resided  in  Ohio. 

Returning  to  Wilmington,  after  my  delightful  visit 
to  Fayetteville,  we  speedily  packed  our  trunk  (it  was  not 
large) ,  and  bade  farewell  to  all  our  friends,  who  had  cared 
for  us,  so  unselfishly  and,  I  might  say,  lovingly.  We  left 
them  with  genuine  regret ;  some  of  them  never  to  behoia 
again.  We  were  fortunate,  while  in  Wilmington,  in  being 
of  the  invited  guests,  at  the  wedding  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
George  W.  Sampson.  Mr.  Sampson  is  now  and  for  sixty- 
two  years  has  been  a  useful  and  respected  resident  of  the 
city  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  where  he  and  his  wife  have  reared 
and  educated  tv/o  sons  and  a  daughter.  The  eldest  is  Pro- 
fessor George  W.  Sampson,  Jr.,  an  alumnus  of  the  West- 
em  Reserve  University,  located  in  Cleveland;  and,  for 
many  years,  principal  of  important  educational  institu- 
tions in  Ohio  and  Florida.  Mr.  Fred  Sampson,  engaged  in 
useful  employment  on  one  of  our  great  "trunk"  railroads ; 
and  Mrs.  Hattie  Sampson  Dale,  the  beloved  wife  of  Doc- 
tor Ellis  A.  Dale,  one  of  the  skilled  and  useful  physicians 
of  Cleveland. 

A  slow,  jolting  ride  of  one  hundred  miles,  carried  us 
to  the  station  of  Laurinburg,  N  C,  the  only  excuse  for 
the  existence  of  which,  is,  so  far  as  I  could  see,  at  that 
time,  was  that,  it  afforded  a  watering  place  for  locomo- 
tives and  a  shipping  and  receiving  station  for  the  farmers 
in  the  neighboring  territory. 

Here  we  were  met  by  two  of  our  numerous  cousins  ; 
Mr.  William  R.  Brewington,  long  since  deceased,  presided 
over  a  horse  and  buggy,  while  his  brother,  James  Brew- 
ington, in  his  employ,  "curbed  and  restrained"  the  mule 
team  attached  to  a  wagon.  William  R.  Brewington  was, 

125 


in  some  respects,  a  uniqe  personage ;  for,  since  I  was  bom, 
although  I  have  come  in  touch  with  many  quaint  and 
curious  people,  yet,  have  I  never  seen  his  * 'double," 
either  physically  or  temperamentally. 

William,  when  a  mere  child,  had  been  "bound  out," 
as  the  expression  was,  "down  south,"  in  those  days,  to  a 
caipenter  and  builder,  ostensibly,  to  be  taught  the  trade 
of  his  master,  but,  practically  to  fill  the  position  of  a 
"factotum" — a  do  all. 

My  dear  mother,  w^ho  knew  of  his  hardships  and  ad- 
versities, through  the  eight  trying  years  of  his  appren- 
ticeship, before  he  reached  his  "majority,"  used  to  tell  us 
children  of  the  lack  of  proper  and  sufficient  clothing 
during  the  cold  winter  days;  the  cravings  of  hunger 
which  every  half -fed  boy  experiences;  the  undeserved 
floggings  inflicted  on  him  by  his  cruel  task-master;  and 
much  else,  until  even  before  we  ever  saw  him,  we  grieved 
for  him,  through  sheer  sympathy.  And  now  here  he  stood 
in  our  very  presence,  the  master  of  his  trade,  a  resepect- 
ed  contractor  and  builder,  the  owner  of  broad  acres,  as 
well  as  a  residence,  a  little  grocery  store,  a  horse  and  a 
mule  team;  to  say  nothing  of  a  pretty  wife  and  several 
interesting  children. 

Yes,  here  he  stood;  his  "arms  outstretched,  as  he 
would  fly,  to  grasp  in  the  comer,"  and  his  countenance 
beaming  with  smiles,  welcoming  us  to  Laurinburg,  the 
gate-way  from  North  Carolina  to  South  Carolina,  Ben- 
nettsville,  Marlboro  County,  South  Carolina,  twenty  miles 
distant,  and  reached  from  that  place,  by  traversing  a 
"blazed-w^ay,"  through  a  dense  forest  and  thick  sands. 

Soon  mounted,  my  Httle  wife  in  the  buggy  by  the  side 
of  our  "dear"  cousin,  and  I,  on  the  crest  of  a  pile  of  bags 
and  boxes,  in  the  wagon  we  rode  into  the  town  of  Ben- 
nettsville,  v/here,  along  the  main  (only)  business  street, 
the  inhabitants,  few^  in  number,  seemed  to  be  on  the  qui 

126 


vive,  to  behold  Mr.  Brewington's  "Cousin  John,"  whose 
coming  had  been  heralded,  and  his  Uttle  wife,  whose 
coming  was  a  genuine  surprise  to  all. 

Finally,  we  halted  in  front  of  a  rudely  constructed 
frame  residence,  which  stood  on  a  corner  of  the  main 
street  and  another,  which  gradually  merged  into  a  coun- 
try road,  leading  to  and  passing  by  the  ''Village  Black- 
smith shop  and  the  ''swimming  hole."  Beyond  these,  was 
the  imposing  residence  of  the  late  "J.  W.  Weatherley," 
a  retired  "speculator"  (in  slaves),  built  by  my  "Cousin 
William,"  under  contract.  Opposite  the  Brewington  resi- 
dence, was  a  field,  which  ere  long,  was  gorgeous  in  its 
garb  of  beautiful  cotton  blooms,  and  later  on,  glistened  in 
its  crop  of  snow-white  cotton.  On  another  corner,  was  the 
spacious  field,  in  the  center  of  which  stood  the  cozy  home 
of  the  late  Charles  McCall,  who,  in  an  emergency,  would 
shoot  and  sell  to  us  a  nice  chicken.  And  on  a  third  side, 
was  the  humble  residence  of  "old"  Mr.  Whaley,  the  watch 
and  jew^elry  repairer,  who,  even  then,  tremulously,  stood 
with  one  foot  on  the  edge  of  the  grave. 

On  entering  it,  w^e  discovered  that  our  future,  tem- 
porary hom.e,  was  neither  lathed  nor  plastered.  The  frame 
of  the  building  w^as  "v/eatherboarded"  and  this  protected 
us  from  the  wind  and  rain.  Later  on,  during  a  light  snow 
storm,  remarkable  for  that  locality,  the  snow^  filtered 
through  the  cracks  and  crevices  of  the  shingled  roofy 
and  lay  lightly  on  the  spread  which  covered  us.  However, 
we  were  young,  and  a  "little  thing"  like  that,  did  not  dis- 
courage us.  On  the  contraiy,  it  was  to  us  a  source  of  mudi 
merriment. 

"Cousin  Mollie,"  the  wife  and  mother,  greeted  us  in  a 
kindly  way,  and  made  conditions  as  comfortable  for  us  as 
she  could;  while  little  Nellie  and  Lula,  were  a  never-fail- 
ing source  of  pleasure  to  us  both. 

On  the  following  day,  I  was  informed  by  my  dear 
127 


"cousin,"  that  two  of  the  thrte  remunerative  positions 
which  he  had  guaranteed  me,  upon  my  arrival  in  Ben- 
netsville,  had  already  been  filled;  to  wit.  The  school  to 
teach  and  the  post-mastership,  in  the  little  Post  Office, 
the  former  by  a  competent  young  lady,  a  protege  of  Mr, 
Henry  J.  Maxwell,  the  state  senator,  representing  that 
district,  and  the  latter  by  a  young  freedman,  at  once 
ambitious  and  capable,  Cato  J.  Stuart,  by  name.  Under 
the  circumstances,  the  only  position  left  vacant  for  me, 
was  that  of  clerk  in  "cousin's  little  12x16,  grocery  store 
where  he  and  "Mollie"  had  been  accustomed  to  bai-ter, 
sparingly,  domestic  provisions  for  "seed-cotton";  that  is 
to  say,  cotton  from  which  the  seeds  had  not  been  removed 
some  of  which,  I  am  bound  to  say,  came  "in  de  dark  ob  de 
moon  I" 

Imagine  this  writer,  then  in  those  surroundings,  in 
the  center  of  a  cotton  producing  district,  rem.oved  from 
even  a  railroad  station,  the  nearest  one  being  at  Society 
Hill,  fourteen  miles  distant;"  not  a  piccayune  to  spend," 
in  his  pocket ;  fresh  from  the  social  and  educational  walks 
of  the  beautiful  city  of  Cleveland,  and  the  business  and 
hustle  of  such  cities  as  Pittsburgh,  Washington,  Balti- 
more, Washington,  Philadelphia  and  New  York!!! 

Was  I  discouraged  ?  No.  I  was  not  discouraged.  I  was 
surprised,  more  or  less  shocked!  As  for  myself,  I  did 
not  care  "a  fig,"  by  the  help  of  God  and  my  determined 
eflforts,  I  had  won  my  .way  from  hunger  and  want  down 
to  that  moment,  and  I  was  "armed,"  not  to  suffer,  but  to 
conquer.  The  little  fair-haired  wife,  by  my  side,  leaning 
upon  me  for  support  and  encouragement;  she  it  was, 
whose  very  patience  and  resignation  to  endure  all  things, 
to  live  or  die,  confiding  in  and  cheering  her  husband,  stim- 
ulated me  and  nerved  me  to  toil  on  and  hope  on,  until  the 
"silver  lining"  of  the  cloud  whilch  enveloped  us  became 
visible. 

128 


No  pay  was  given  to  me  for  my  services  in  the 
"grocery/*  save  our  keep,  which  consisted  of  a  fireless 
attic  to  sleep  in,  and  salt  mackerel,  salt  pork,  bacon, 
fried  or  boiled,  once  in  a  while,  with  ''collards"  and  corn 
^'dodgers,"  black  coffee,  sweetened,  generally,  with  dark 
brown  sugar  or  molasses. 

There  was,  at  that  tim.e  no  market  in  the  town,  and 
cotton  being  the  principal  product  of  the  farms  in  that 
locality,  it  was  extremely  difficult  to  procure  vegetables, 
poultry  or  eggs,  even  had  I  possessed  the  financial  means 
of  buying  the  same.  Later  on,  in  that  year,  1870,  a  little 
baby  boy  came  to  our  hom.e,  and  when  the  mother  plead 
for  some  chicken  broth,  I  could  not,  in  any  way  procure 
the  coveted  luxury  for  her.  Finally,  I  walked  down  the 
road,  past  the  swimming  hole,  a  m.ile  from  the  village,  to 
the  home  of  that  same  ex-slave  ''speculator,''  of  whom  i 
have  spoken,  Mr.  Weatherley,  and,  being  received  courts 
eously  by  him,  I  pleaded  with  him  to  sell  me  one  small 
chicken  for  my  sick  v/ife.  Without  hesitation,  he  ordered 
one  of  his  servants  to  catch  a  chicken  for  me.  Pie  present- 
ed the  bird  to  me,  and  scorned  payment  for  it.  Whatever 
else  he  may  have  been,  his  conduct  on  this  occasion,  the 
only  time  he  and  I  ever  met,  ''face  to  face,"  was  that  of 
a  kindly  disposed  gentleman,  and  I  shall  ever  remember 
him,  in  gratitude. 

We  could  not  buy  a  morsel  of  "fresh  beef"  in  that 
little  town,  save  and  except  on  rare  occasions,  when  some 
country-man  vrould  drive  in  with  the  carcas  of  a  little 
butchered  bullock  covered  v>ath  green  branches,  to  pro- 
tect it  from  the  sun's  rays  and  the  flies. 

On  one  occasion,  beef  in  this  manner  w^as  brought  into 
the  village;  but  before  we  became  av/are  of  its  presence 
it  v/as  all  sold!!!  The  little  baby  boy  had  not  yet  arrived 
and  miy  loved  one  craved  a  piece  of  that  beef.  "Cousin" 
William  was  the  proud  (happy)  possessor  of  a  good-sized 
"chunk"  of  it  but  neither  he  nor  "Cousin"  Mollie  would 

129 


give  or  sell  me  a  piece.  (We  were  not  their  guests,  then) . 
So,  disconsolate,  but  not  cast  down,  I  went  to  the  home 
of  one  of  the  white  citizens,  ^vho,  I  was  informed,  had 
bought  a  piece  of  the  beef,  and  laid  my  condition  before 
him.  His  dwelhng  occupied  a  commanding  position  well 
back  in  the  yard,  from  the  sidewalk,  and  was  guarded 
at  night,  by  a  large,  fierce  dog,  which  was  generally  kept 
chained  in  the  day  time. 

I,  unsuspectingly  and  fearlessly,  entered  upon  the 
premises,  when,  to  my  amazement  and  hoiTor,  that  savage 
brute  came  bounding  directly  towards  and  up  to  me. 
What  defence  could  I  make,  what  could  I  do?  I  had  no 
weapon,  I  was  ''empty  handed."  Looking  the  dog  straight 
in  his  eyes,  I  snapped  my  fingers  at  him  and  spoke 
kindly  words  to  him,  when  he  to  my  great  relief,  wagged 
his  tail  and  trotted  along  by  my  side,  until  I  was  accosted 
and  met,  by  his  master. 

With  every  manifestation  of  true  gentility,  this 
southern  man,  "to  the  manor  born,"  as  the  current  phrase 
was  at  that  time,  cut  off  from  his  portion,  a  nice  large 
piece  of  that  beef,  and  presented  it  to  me  gi*atis.  I  earned 
it  to  my  wife,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  tears  of 
gratitude  standing  in  her  beautiful  eyes,  by  reason  of 
that  man's  unselfish  generosity.  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  re- 
call his  name;  it  was  fifty  years  ago,  and  memory  fails 
me. 

On  another  occasion,  w^e  needed  a  little  tea,  black  or 
green  tea,  it  mattered  not  which.  In  order  to  procure  it,  I 
was  compelled  to  send  to  Wilmington,  N.  C.  for  it;  and, 
needing  a  dentist,  later  on,  when  I  had  come  into  the 
possession  of  a  little  money,  I  was  compelled  to  travel  a 
hundred  and  thirty  or  forty  miles,  and  place  myself  under 
the  skillful  treatment  of  the  late  Doctor  Rodrigue,  of  the 
old  regimxC,  in  Charleston,  in  order  to  repair  the  damage 
done  to  me  by  a  "native  dentist,"  one  who  did  the  best 
he  knew  how  to  do,  but  who  after  seven  ineffectual  at- 

iso 


tempts  to  draw  a  wisdom  tooth,  merely  broke  it  off,  and 
exposed  the  nerve. 

When  the  fall  approached  and  the  cotton  crop  was 
"laid  by,"  cousin  William  suddenly  discovered  that  my 
services,  in  the  little  ''grocery"  store  were  no  longer  need- 
ed, that  he  and  Mollie  could  attend  to  it,  until  after  pick-, 
ing  time.  This  condition  left  me  and  my  family,  substan- 
tially homeless,  for  we  could  not  remain  there,  pension- 
ers on  their  bounty  (?)  and  I  was  not  in  a  financial  condi- 
tion to  go  elsew^here. 

There  was  a  man  in  that  county,  John  G.  Grant, 
by  name.  He  was  the  Probate  Judge  of  Marlboro  County, 
and  since  his  term  of  office  was  nearly  ended,  he  was 
seeking  the  Republican  nomination  for  re-election;  and, 
knowing  that  I  was  active  within  the  ranks  of  that  party 
he  sought  my  friendship  and  assistance,  in  that  behalf. 

"Green,"  he  said  to  me,  "why  don't  you  rent  Brewing- 
ton's  corner  room,  and  open  a  grocery  for  yourself  in  it?" 
I  told  him,  I  had  no  money  to  rent  the  room  with,  and 
least  of  all  to  stock  it  with  groceries.  "Well,"  he  replied, 
"I  have  seven  barrels  of  spirits  of  turpentine,  which  is 
quite  valuable.  I  will  ship  it  to  Adrian  and  Vollers,  large 
dealers  in  Wilmington,  N.  C.,  and  you  can  go  there  and 
invest  the  proceeds  of  that  spirits  in  groceries,  and  staii; 
your  store. 

A  drowning  man  will  grasp  at  a  straw ;  and  I  hurried 
to  avail  myself  of  this  opportunity ;  altho,  one  of  the  con- 
ditions was  that,  he  should  be  a  "silent"  partner,  and  re- 
ceive one-half  of  the  net  profits  of  the  business. 

This  was  on  Friday,  the  next  day  being  the  day  of 
the  Republican  Convention,  by  which  he  was  duly  nom- 
inated for  a  second  term,  I  assisting,  as  best  I  could. 

The  next  day,  Sunday,  after  attending  Divine  services 
and  superintending  the  Sunday  School,  I  began  to  collect 
money  to  pay  my  fare  to  Wilmington,  in  order  to  collect 
for  the  spirits  of  tui-pentine,  buy  the  groceries  and  ship 

131 


them  to  Laurinburgh.  It  was  not  an  easy  matter  to  bor- 
row nine  or  ten  dollars.  I  had  three  dollars,  belonging  to 
the  Sunday  School.  I  appropriated  that,  with  a  proviso : 
and  I  returned  it  out  of  my  first  earnings,  later  on.  Sena- 
tor Henry  J.  Maxwell  loaned  me  three  other  dollars  and  I 
reckoned  on  borrowing  three  others  from  another  cousin 
of  mine,  Mr  John  Brewington,  on  reaching  the  station, 
which  as  I  have  said,  was  twenty  long  miles  distant 

At  half  past  seven,  on  that  Sunday  evening,  as  the 
"shades  of  night  were  falling  fast,"  and  while  the  bell  of 
a  neighboring  church  was  sweetly  inviting  sinners — and 
others  to  ''come,"  fondly  embracing  my  well-nigh  dis- 
consolate wife,  who  stood  in  the  door,  holding  ''little 
Johnnie"  in  her  arms  (she  weighed  ninety-five  pounds), 
I  started  on  my  "hike"  to  Laurinburgh. 

The  intervening  seven  miles,  before  reaching  the 
forest,  was  through  thick  sand,  and,  since  I  wore  a  pair 
of  boots,  given  me,  before  leaving  Cleveland,  by  the  late 
Frank  Judd,  which  were  "snug"'  on  my  feet,  to  say  the 
least,  they  began  to  pain  me  to  an  uncomfortable  degi'ee, 
but  I  gave,  no  heed  to  that ;  that  last  im.age  of  my  wife 
and  little  one,  standing  in  that  door  dependent  and  for- 
lorn, and  the  expectancy  of  securing  the  means  of  making 
them  comfortable  and  happy,  stimulated  me  to  such  a 
degree,  that,  I  literally  devoured  space;  and  sooner  than 
I  expected,  I  found  myself  at  the  beginning  of  the  "blazed- 
way,"  on  the  edge  of  the  forest. 

It  was  now,  quite  dark,  save  as  the  moon  and  stars, 
ever  and  anon,  peeped  through  the  foliage  and  revealed 
to  me  the  ruts  made  by  the  wagons,  which  traversed  thft 
route,  and  some  familiar  objects  which  I  had  seen  before. 
The  occasional  hooting  of  an  owl  and  the  quaint  noises 
made  by  other  tenants  of  the  forest,  lent  a  wierd  charm 
to  all  the  surroundings.  Mile  after  mile,  '  "reeled  oflf;" 
never  wearying,  not  once  complaining;  altho,  by  this 
time,  my  heels  and  toes  were  blistered  and  my  gate  was 

132 


-somewhat,  halt  and  lame.  To  add  to  the  seriousness  of 
my  plight,  the  sky  was  now  overcast  with  heavy  clouds 
and  some  big  drops  of  rain  began  to  fall  as  the  rumbling 
of  ominous  thunder  began  to  be  heard  in  the  distance. 
Under  these  conditions,  I  failed  to  discern  my  *'land- 
marks,"  and  I  found  myself  out  of  the  direct  route,  and 
was  compelled  to  retrace  fully  a  mile  of  the  distance. 

'The  night  is  long  that  never  finds  the  day,"  says  one 
poet,  while  a  profound  philosopher,  more  prosaic,  carries 
the  same  idea  when  he  says,  "It's  a  long  lane  that  has  no 
turn!"  And  so,  I  found  in  this  instance,  for  at  half  past 
eleven  o'clock  (exactly  four  hours  from  the  tim.e  of  start- 
ing), I  knocked  at  the  door  of  Mr.  John  Brewington,  at 
the  end  of  my  first  ''lap,"  and  was  welcomed,  foot-sore 
and  weary,  with  mingled  feelings  of  joy  and  surprise. 

After  answering  many  questions,  hurriedly  asked  of 
me,  I  laid  myself  on  a  rough  counter,  with  an  empty 
raisin-box  for  a  pillov/.  In  the  morning,  when  I  attempted 
to  pull  on  my  boots,  I  found  that  my  feet  were  too  swolen 
to  admit  of  success,  but,  as  time  was  precious,  I  put  a 
little  soft  soap  on  the  side  of  the  heels,  and  so,  succeed- 
ed in  pulling  them  on,  splitting  the  inner  side  of  one  boot 
leg,  however,  in  doing  so.  The  blisters  on  my  heels  and 
toes,  the  swolen  condition  of  my  feet,  and  a  pronounced 
pain  in  one  hip,  caused  me  to  limp  along  in  a  very  ungain- 
ly way  from  the  house  to  the  train,  en  route  to  Wilming- 
ton. 

I  must  not  forget  to  state,  that,  "Cousin  John"  loaned 
me  three  dollars,  and  thereby,  assured  m.e  the  means  of 
returning  from  Wilmington. 

Arrived,  in  a  few  hours,  in  the  city  of  Wilmington,  I 
went  "as  the  crow  flies,"  to  the  wholesale  house  of  Adrian 
&  Vollers,  and,  immediately  introduced  myself  to  Mr. 
Vollers,  a  quiet  appearing  man,  of  very  few  words,  who 
had  before  that  day,  neither  seen  me  nor  heard  my  voice, 

133 


and  for  aught  that  I  know,  to  that  day,  had  never  even 
heard  tell  of  me. 

In  a  few  moments,  he  made  me  aware  of  the  fact, 
that,  on  his  part,  he  had  neither  seen  nor  heard  of  the 
seven  barrels  of  spirits  of  turpentine!  Thereupon,  I  said 
to  him,  **Mr.  Vollers,  I  have  spent  my  last  cent,  for  tickets 
to  this  city,  from  Bennettsville,  S.  C.  and  return.  I  left 
behind  m.e  a  frail  wife  with  a  baby  in  her  arms,  and  I  dare 
not  return  there  without  this  bill  of  goods.  I  am  the 
cousin  of  William  Brewington,  with  w^hom  you  are 
acquainted.  Can't  you  let  me  have  the  goods  on  credit?" 

Mr.  Vollers  looked  me  straight  in  the  eyes.  *'How 
much  do  you  want?"  he  dryly  inquired.  ''Here  is  the 
list,"  I  replied.  In  a  few  minutes  he  had  made  an  estimate 
of  the  cost  of  the  goods.  One  hundred  and  ten  dollars, 
was  the  amount.  ''You  may  have  them,"  he  said.  "But, 
Mr.  Vollers!"  I  exclaimed.  "I  have  not  a  dollar  with  which 
to  pay  the  freight  on  them.'  "Well,"  he  said,  "we  will  pay 
that  for  you." 

If  an  angel  of  light  had  spoken  to  me,  I  could  not 
have  been  made  more  happy.  Truly  God  was  with  me! 
Truly,  as  a  reward  of  merit,  in  return  for  some  kindness- 
es, on  the  part  of  my  dear  deceased  father  or  some  one 
closely  relaj"ed  to  me,  God  was  blessing  me,  and  I  silently 
lifted  up  my  heart  in  thanksgiving  to  Him,  from  whom 
all  blessings  flow.  The  goods  were  placed  on  the  same 
train  which  carried  me  back  to  Laurinburg,  on  the  next 
day,  and  a  few  hours  later,  I  again  found  myself  on  that 
same  platform,  with  a  pile  of  merchandise,  and  Bennetts- 
ville— twenty  miles  away!" 

"What   was    clone,    what    to    do, 
A  glance  told  me  both!" 

So,  says  the  poet  Reed,     when     describing     Sheridan's 
famous  ride,  to  Winchester  "twenty  miles  away."  But 

134 


in  the  case  of  the  writer,  a  glance  did  not  suffice;  for,  I 
was  in  a  semi-hostile  countiy,  a  stranger  to  every  one 
and  without  the  means  of  emplo3ing  friends  or  foe  to 
transport  my  merchandise  for  me. 

Let  no  youthful  reader  of  this  narrative  forget  that 
time  honored  maxim.  "Where  there  is  a  will,  there  is  a 
way."  I  love  and  confide  in  those  old  maxims,  for,  gen- 
erally, they  have  come  thundering  down  the  ages"  and 
contain  great  truths,  for  our  guidance  and  encourage- 
ment, in  many  of  the  perplexities  of  life. 

Inquiring  of  sundry  persons  whom  I  met  in  the  one 
business  street,  I  was  finally  directed  to  the  home  of  Mr. 
Edward  Roper — a  youthful,  hard-fisted,  good-natured, 
kind-hearted  Negro  man,  of  family.  A  "freedman,"  so 
called,  who  had  spent  the  greater  part  of  his  life  in 
bondage,  until  the  immortal  Abraham  Lincoln  issued  the 
Proclamation,  which  broke  his  bonds  asunder. 

Fortunately,  Mr.  Roper  was  at  home;  and  gave  me 
a  right  heaity  welcome.  His  good  w-ife  and  little  ones 
joining  him.  An  invitation  to  eat  followed,  which  w^as 
accepted;  and  then,  after  listening  to  my  ''tale  of  woe,"  he 
hitched  his  mule  team  to  his  wagon,  loaded  my  goods  into 
it,  invited  me  to  sit  on  the  seat  beside  him,  and  set  me, 
wdth  my  goods,  down  at  my  door,  in  that  far  away  Ben«^ 
nettsville,  and  all  this,  without  exacting  from  me  any 
money  whatsoever;  but,  simply  relying  on  my  individual 
oral  promise  to  pay  him,  when  able  to  do  so ! 

Whatever  may  be  said  detrimental  to  the  Negro  race 
by  persons  who,  for  one  reason  and  another,  do  not 
admire  it,  I,  a  person  in  whose  arteries  flow's  a  modicum 
of  that  self-same  blood,  here  and  now,  record  my  ''knovvd- 
edge  and  belief,"  that,  for  love  and  filial  affections,  sym- 
pathy and  generosity,  patriotism  and  martial  heroism, 
industry  and  a  philosophic,  hopeful,  poetic  temperament, 
it  is  not  suiT)assed  by  any  race  of  people  on  the  face  of 
this  habitable  globe.  And  ''Ed"  Roper    was  one    whose 

135 


blood  had  never  been  ^'tainted"  by  an  admixture  with  that 
of  any  other  race. 

During  my  absence,  Ed  Sawyer,  *  a  friendly  car- 
penter, had  procured  some  lumber,  and,  in  a  sort  of  Wild 
West  way,  built  me  a  counter  and  a  meat-stand,  and 
placed  some  shelving  in  the  comer  room,  referred  to  in 
the  foregoing,  where,  on  the  first  day  of  my  experience 
as  proprietor,  I  sold  out  nearly  everything  except  my 
scales,  knives  and  "fixtures;"  and  sent  a  "rush"  order 
for  supplies  to  Wilmington,  together  with  a  money  order 
for  the  payment  of  my  original  order. 

In  explanation  of  my  rapid  sale  of  all  my  small  stock 
of  groceries,  I  will  state,  that,  it  was  one  of  the  results 
of  a  hanging  v/hich  took  place  on  that  day;  and  which 
attracted  a  large  crowd  of  people  to  that  town  (the 
county  seat),  to  witness  it.  This  was  a  legal  hanging, 
however,  in  accordance  with  the  required  forms  of  the  law. 

The  name  of  the  unfortunate  victim  was  Berry  Mc- 
Intyre,  a  young  and  good-looking  colored  man,  who,  in 
an  evil  moment,  had  decoyed  his  wife  to  a  lonely  place 
near  a  gloomy  pond,  and  after  killing  her,  had  thrown 
the  body  into  the  pond.  For  some  reason  that  could  not 
be  explained,  one  of  the  arms  of  the  victim  was  missing, 
and  although  the  defendant,  finally,  made  a  full  confes- 
sion of  the  crime,  yet,  he,  to  the  end,  denied  the  dismem- 
berment of  the  body. 


NOTE — ^This  Ed.  Sawj'er  was  the  father  of  Edward  J.  Sawyer, 
Esq.,  of  Bennettsville,  S.  C,  who,  at  the  time  referred  to, 
here,  was  a  youth  of  some  seventeen  summers.  Since  then 
he  has  been  admitted  to  practice  law  in  S.  C;  has  reared  and 
educated  a  numerous  family;  has  become  possessed  of  a 
thousand  or  more  acres  of  land  in  Marlborough  County,  and 
in  other  ways  attained  to  a  very  high  standing  in  the  esti- 
mation of  everyone. 

156 


The  gallows  was  erected  in  the  "public  square"  of 
the  village,  without  any  attempt  to  screen  it  from  public 
view;  and  numbers  of  the  on-lookers,    stood    near    the 
"foot"  of  the  scene.    When  the  "trap"  was  "sprung,"  the 
body  plunged  downward,  breaking  the  neck  of  the  vic- 
tim, I  suppose ;  for  when  an  attempt  was  made  to  shorten 
the  rope  and  clear  his  feet  from  the  ground,  it  was  limp 
and  unconscious.    I  do  not  believe  the  man  knew   what 
killed  him.    After  the  execution,  the  crovv^d  thronged  the 
groceries,  and  their  patronage  was  welcome  and  beneficial. 
In  the  course  of  a  few  months,  my  income  from  the 
grocery  was  such  that  I  bought  a  lot  on  a  hillside,  front- 
ing on  the  south  side  of  the  little   square   and   erected 
thereon  a  humble  residence  and  storeroom     combined. 
Long  piles,  from  the  bodies  of  pine  trees  supporting  the 
rear  of  the  house,  which  was  raised  about  ten  feet  from 
the  slant  of  the  hill,  while  the  front  rested  on  low  sills 
near  the  brow  of  the  same.  The  depression  between  the 
sill  of  the  house  and  the  "main  land,"  was  planked  over. 
Here,  owing  to  my  political  activities  and  social  endeavors, 
my  business  grew  rapidly,  and  in  the  course  of  a  year, 
I  was  well  estabUshed. 

In  the  month  of  September,  1870  (the  20th  day  of 
September,  to  be  exact),  I  m.ade  application  to  be  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  South  Carolina.  Judge  J.  M.  Rutland 
(a  carpetbagger)  presiding  over  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas  of  that  District. 

There  were  two  other  applications  filed  on  the  same 
day,  by  two  promising  white  young  gentlemen,  resi- 
dents of  that  town — J.  Knox  Livingston  and  H.  Hope 
Newton — both  of  whom  were  admitted  during  the  course 
of  that  day.  But  in  my  case,  a  committee  of  three  lawyers, 
consisting  of  Colonel  J.  L.  Hudson,  Duncan  D.  McColl  and 
Charles  Townsend. 

By  order  of  the  committee,  I  visited  the  office  of 
Judge  Townsend,  "after  early  tea,"  which  proved  to  be 

137 


at  seven-thirty  P.  M.,  and  was  orally  examined  by  those 
gentlemen,  in  turn,  until  eleven-thirty  o'clock,  of  the  same 
evening.  I  am  pleased  to  record  the  fact  that,  I  answered 
satisfactorily,  every  question  asked  of  me,  save  one;  and 
that  related  to  ''marine"  law;  which,  to  us  in  Bennetts- 
ville,  was  not  of  much  interest,  inasmuch  as  the  nearest 
body  of  water  to  the  town  was  the  stagnant  swamp  at 
the  foot  of  the  hill,  in  the  rear  of  my  little  home ;  and  the 
only  running  stream,  which  I  can  now  recall,  was  the 
creek  tributary  to  it,  which  in  its  course,  furnished  our 
swimming  hole. 

In  making  their  report  to  the  Court,  on  the  following 
day,  the  committee  said,  in  part,  "we  find  your  applicant 
John  P.  Green,  not  only  qualified,  but  well  qualified."  I 
took  the  examination  there,  instead  of  going  to  the  State 
Capital,  and  being  admitted  on  motion,  because  I  craved 
the  respect  and  professional  assistance  of  the  members 
of  the  Marlboro  Bar ;  which  1  cheerfully  say,  was  accord- 
ed to  me,  as  long  as  I  practiced  there. 

During  the  year  and  a  half  and  more,  given  to  the  prac- 
tice there,  I  saved  two  lives,  the  third  John  J.  McQuaig^ 
(white) ,  indicted  for  murder  (they  had  no  varied  degrees 
only  murder  and  manslaughter),  made  his  escape  from 
pnson,  plunged  into  the  "dismal  swamp,"  in  the  rear  of 
the  jail,  and,  to  my  knowledge,  was  never  heard  of  again. 

One  of  my  fortunate  clients  was,  Irene  McRae,  a 
colored  girl,  not  yet  seventeen  years  of  age,  who,  one 
hot  July  day,  gave  birth  to  a  child — cut  its  head  off,  and 
then  got  into  a  tub  of  cold  water.  Since  she  had  no  money, 
and  the  other  lawyers  did  not  care  for  the  case,  she  be- 
came my  client;  and,  adopting  the  defense  of  puerperal 
mania,  I  secured  a  verdict  of  ''not  guilty."  Some  mention 
of  this  defense  was  made  in  one  of  the  Harper  periodi- 
cals of  that  day. 

When  we  were  empaneling  the  jury  for  the  trial  of 
that  case,  old  Peter  McColl,  clerk  of  the  court,  who  was« 

13S 


nearly  a  hundred  years  of  age,  and  shook  in  his  voice 
and  his  hands,  almost  like  an  aspen,  proceeded,  as  fol- 
lows: "John  W.  Crossland,"  he  called.  To  the  front  came 
a  "southern  gentleman,"  owner  of  much  land,  and  erst- 
while owner  of  numerous  slaves,  who  tilled  the  soil  foi' 
him.  "P-r-i-s-o-n-e-r,"  said  the  aged  clerk,  1-o-o-k  o-n  t-h-e 
j-u-r-o-r;  j-u-r-o-r,  1-o-o-k  o-n  t-h-e  p-r-i-s-o-n-e-r!"  Then 
we  both  looked.  "W-h-a-t  s-a-y  y-o-u?"  he  asked.  Now,  I 
was  in  a  quandary,  as  to  whether  I  should  say,  'swear 
him,"  or  "excused;"  for,  Crossland  bore  the  reputation  of 
having  been  a  very  cruel  driver  of  his  slaves,  and  it  was 
reported  that  any  one  of  his  ex-slaves  could  be  disting- 
uished by  the  white  patches  of  hair  on  his  head,  where 
wounds  had  previously  been  inflicted ;  and  I  feared,  lest  he 
should  show  prejudice  against  this  colored  girl,  in  the  de- 
liberations of  the  jury.  On  the  other  hand,  I  knew  that 
in  weighing  professional  and  scientific  questions,  relating 
to  the  case,  he  was  just  the  man,  of  all,  needed.  So,  I  said, 
"swear  him!"  He  was  made  foreman  of  that  jury;  and 
by  his  elucidations  of  the  technical  questions  growing 
out  of  the  defense,  brought  us  safely  through. 

The  other  case  was  that  of  a  colored  man,  who,  in  a 
dmnken  brawl,  severed  the  femoral  artery  of  an- 
other. I  was  one  of  the  three  who  defended  Frank 
Cook.  He  was  duly  convicted  of  murder,  and  sentenced 
to  be  hung.  After  the  gallows  was  erected,  at  the  earnest 
plea  of  his  wife,  who  was  soon  to  become  a  mother,  I 
went  to  Columbvl*^?-and  by  a  political  bargain,  persuaded 
the  late  Governor  Scott,  (of  Henry  Co.,  Ohio,  who  was 
then  Governor  of  S.  C,  and  was  afterwards  tried  in 
Henry  Co.,  Ohio,  for  murder  and  acquitted)  to  commute 
his  sentence  to  life  imprisonment.  He  was  subsequently, 
pardoned,  after  I  left  the  state;  and,  for  aught  that  I 
know,  is  still  living  with  that  wife  and  his  children. 

In  the  year  1903,  after  having  finished  a  term  of  nine 
years'  service  in  the  employ  of  the    United    States,    at 

139 


Washington  (of  which,  more,  later  on) ,  I  applied  for  ad- 
mission to  the  bar  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  and,  in 
order  to  evade  the  requirement  of  a  formal  examination, 
I  wrote  to  the  late  Duncan  D.  McColl,  Esq.,  of  Bennetts- 
ville,  requesting  him  to  send  me  a  copy  of  the  Journal 
entry  of  my  admission  to  the  bar  of  South  Carolina  in 
1870.  His  letter  breathes  such  a  spirit  of  friendliness  that, 
I  shall  record  it ;  not  more  as  one  of  the  incidents  of  my 
career  in  South  Carolina,  in  my  youth,  than  as  a  testi- 
monial of  my  high  esteem  and  grateful  remembrance  of 
a  southern  gentleman,  scholar  and  man  of  affairs,  who, 
recognized  merit  in  all  men,  regardless  of  color  or  pre- 
vious condition,  and  he  lived  a  long  and  useful  life. 

The  letter  follows: 

BANK  OF  MARLBORO 

Bennettsville,  S.  C,  May  2d,  1903. 
Kon.  J.  P.  Green, 

Washington,  D.  C. 
My  Dear  Sir: — 

Your  favor  of  the  29th  ult.  read.  Am  certainly  glad  to  hear 
from  you.  Went  to  Clerk's  office  and  found  the  date  of  your  ad- 
mission, to  practice  law,  entered  on  the  minutes  of  the  court. 
Had  no  trouble,  owing  to  your  good  recollection  of  date,  etc.  I 
enclose  your  certificate,  from  the  clerk  of  the  court,  under  seal, 
showing  you  to  be  an  attorney  at  law,  in  this  state,  in  good 
standing,  etc.,  and  copied  in  the  ceitificate,  the  order  of  the  court, 
admitting  you.  I  hope  it  will  answer  your  purpose  and  be  all 
you  desire. 

I  paid  him  50  c  for  the  Certificate,  but  do  not  pay  back  to 
me,  as  I  hope,  some  time  or  other  to  get  even,  in  some  other  way. 

If  you  will  notice,  you  were  admitted  to  practice,  on  my 
motion;  and  I  am  proud  to  say,  that,  while  you  practiced  at  this 
bar,  you  did  great  credit  to  yourself  and  the  profession. 

I  recall,  distinctly,  although  it  has  been  thirty  years  (32 
years,  is  exact-^J.  P.  G.),  your  defence  of  Alford  (Frank  Cook— 
J.  P.  G.),  charged  with  murder. 

This  was  a  case  of  infanticide  (the  writer  now  refers  to  the 
Irene  McRae  case,  mentioned  above — J.  P.  G.),  and  your  great 

140 


skill   and   knowledge   in   successfully   establishing   the    defence   of 
pueii)eral  mania. 

Hope  you  are  well  and  doing  well, 

Yours  truly, 

D.  D.  McCALL. 

State  Senator  Henry  J.  Maxwell,  now  deceased,  treat- 
ed me,  at  first,  with  almost  contempt.  He  was  about  fif- 
teen years  my  senior,  in  age,  a  brick  layer,  by  trade,  and 
a  politician  by  profession.  He  was  a  South  Carolinan,  by 
birth,  and  was  evidently  proud  of  the  fact. 

The  colored  people  of  the  county,  who  were  all  active 
members  of  the  Republican  party,  almost  blindly  followed 
his  leadership,  and  he  dictated  the  policies  pursued  in  the 
county,  which  were  implicitely  obeyed  by  them.  In  the 
Senate,  at  Columbia,  he  was,  facetiously,  denominated, 
"the  Duke  of  Marlborough;"  and  he  commanded  atten- 
tion and  exerted  influence. 

I  paid  little  attention  to  him,  at  first ;  but,  when  the  fall 
campaign  came  on,  and  he  was  a  candidate  for  re-elec- 
tion, we  became  well  nigh  "chummy",  and  not  only  visited 
each  other,  but,  sat  on  the  same  platforms,  and  addressed 
the  same  political  gatherings.  Here  is  yet,  another  of 
those  wise  old  "saws,"  of  which  I  spoke,  in  a  former  chap- 
ter, and  which,  as  a  rule,  are  eternally  true: 

"Politics  make  strange  bed-fellows." 

This  was  literally  verified,  eventually,  when  he  and  I, 
in  Columbia,  S.  C,  actually,  slept  in  the  same  bed,  to- 
gether. 

During  my  brief  political  experience  in  and  near 
Bennettsville,  I  faced  three  separate  contingencies  in 
which,  I  suspect,  my  life  was  endangered,  the  first  was, 
when  on  one  pretty  July  afternoon,  in  a  grove  near  the 
village,  I  was  delivering  a  political  harangue,  in  v/hich 
I  censured  some  of  the  methods  resorted  to  by  the  Demo- 
cratic  party,  a  large  man  John  W.  Harrington,  by  name, 

141 


who  was  made  fierce  looking  by  bushy  whiskers,  rushed 
at  me  with  an  ugly  looking  knife,  and  attempted  to  cut 
me  with  it.  He  w^as  intercepted,  however,  by  several  of 
my  auditors  and  disaiTned.  They,  too,  had  big,  sharp 
knives. 

My  second  jeopardy  was,  on  the  Fourth  day  of  July, 
1871,  when  I,  as  ''orator  of  the  day,"  was  literally,  making 
the  eagle  scream,  on  a  platform  erected  on  our  little  Pub- 
lic Square,  in  Bennetts ville,  when  Harris  Covington,  Esq., 
Democratic  nominee  for  Congress,  rushed  foi-ward, 
grasped  me  by  one  of  my  legs,  and  attempted  to  pull  me 
down  from  the  rostrum.  Mr.  Covington  narrowly  escaped 
being  run  through  the  body  by  a  sword,  in  the  hands  of 
a  colored  by-stander;  and  a  riot  was  prevented  by  the 
counsels  of  judicious  persons,  present. 

The  third  jeopardy  was  self-made;  and  from  this 
point  of  view,  I  can  see  that,  my  conduct  was  ill-advised 
and  silly.  The  ''Greely  Democrats,"  of  the  County  had 
just  adjourned  a  large  meeting  which  they  had  held  on 
the  public  square,  and,  with  several  of  their  Negro  em- 
ployes, were  preparing  to  return  to  their  homes.  I,  there- 
upon, in  the  absence  of  Senator  Maxwell,  constituted  my- 
self Republican  leader,  and  declared  that,  I  would  mount 
the  vacant  platform,  and  answer  the  statements  which 
had  been  made  to  the  colored  men,  in  attendance,  by  the 
speakers. 

Sheriff  Joel  Easterling,  the  long-whiskered-patriar- 
chal Republican  official,  said  to  me:  ''Green,  don't  you  do 
it!  They  will  kill  you!  If  you  persist,  I,  as  sheriff  of  this 
county,  will  not  guarantee  you  protection!"  Yet,  I  mount- 
ed that  platform ;  and  for  forty  minutes,  preached  a  pure, 
unadulterated,  Abraham  Lincoln  republicanism. 

They  did  not  touch  me;  but,  in  the  next  issue  of  the 
local  paper,  there  was  a  statement,  that,  after  the  ad- 
journment of  the  Democratic  meeting,  *'a  fellow  by  the 
name  of  Green,  who  came  from  nobody  knows  where,  and 

142 


lives  on  nobody  knows  what,  got  up  on  the  stand  and 
harangued  the  Negroes." 

Occasionally,  we  would  awake  to  find  "Ku-Klux-Klan" 
litei*ature  strewn  near  our  front  doors  or  tacked  on  the 
trunks  of  the  large  pine  trees  in  the  public  square.  I 
have  never  known  whether  the  dodgers,  whiclj  carried 
at  the  top  the  death-head  and  cross-bones,  of  the  Ku- 
Klux-Klan,  were  a  mere  hoax  or  a  dire  threat  and  menace. 
Of  one  fact  I  am  certain;  they  caused  us  all  to  be  quite 
apprehensive;  and,  on  many  nights.  Maxwell,  William 
Brewington,  John  Brewington,  this  writer  and  others, 
"ai-med  to  the  teeth,"  took  turns  in  patrolling  the  streets, 
in  the  vicinity  of  our  homes,  in  order  to  prevent  a  sur- 
prised assault;  and  my  own  doors  were  locked,  barred  and 
propped,  as  a  source  of  protection. 

On  one  ''first  Monday"  (the  day  of  the  month  w^hen 
the  sheriif  sold  lands  and  effects,  by  order  of  court),  a 
half  drunken  fellow,  McQuaig  by  name,  started  in  pur- 
suit of  me — to  "kill  me,"  as  he  said;  I  heard  of  it;  and, 
arming  myself  with  a  long,  sharp  knife,  pursued  him.  He 
dodged  me,  and  that  ended  the  fiasco. 

Early  in  1872,  I  was  elected  delegate  to  the  Republi- 
can State  Convention,  which  held  its  sessions  at  Columbia, 
the  capital  of  the  state.  There  were  present,  in  the  elegant 
hall  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  which  had  been 
furnished  at  a  cost  of  sixty  thousand  dollars  (and  con- 
tained cuspidors  at  a  cost  of  fifteen  dollars  each),  not 
only  delegates  from  all  parts  of  South  Carolina,  but,  many 
members  of  Congress,  judges,  public  officials  and  the 
Governor  of  the  state. 

During  the  deliberations  of  the  committee  on  cre- 
dentials— on  motion  of  Captain  Robert  Smalls  (of  the 
steam-boat  "Planter"  fame),  I  was,  unanimously  invited 
to  address  the  convention.  It  came  to  me  like  the  prov- 
erbial "clap  of  thunder".  However,  I  did  not  shrink,  but, 

143 


on  the  contrary,  "grasped"     the     opportunity,     Thomas 
Carlyle  says. 

"Occasion,  God-like,  rushes  storming  on  swift — perilous, 
Like  a  whirlwind— like  a  swift,  lightning  steed; 
Manfully,  thou  shalt  grasp  him  by  the  mane, 
And  vault  into  thy  seat  on  him; 
And  ride  and  guide  there  thou!" 

I  took  his  advice.  F  or  nearly  an  hour,  I  addressed  that 
august  assemblage,  paying  no  more  attention  to  the  per- 
sonel  of  the  assemblage  or  the  coign  of  advantage,  from 
which  I  spoke,  than  if  I  had  been  speaking  to  a  jury  in 
the  Court  House. 

The  portion  of  my  address  which  attracted  most  at- 
tention and  which  was  widely  criticised  by  politicians, 
was  that,  wherein  I  declared  that,  the  people  should  select 
as  public  servants,  men  known  to  be  intelligent  and 
honest;  that,  unless  this  policy  were  speedily  adopted 
they  would  be  reading  the  ''handwriting  on  the  Vv^all;" 
that,  the  reconstruction  (carpet-bag)  governments  of  the 
southern  states  could  exist  no  longer  than  they  were  sus- 
tained by  the  public  opinion  of  the  North ;  and  that,  fail- 
ing in  respect  of  that  support,  they  would  fall,  to  rise  no 
more. 

Coming  down  from  the  rostrum  (the  speakers' 
stand).  Senator  Allep,  of  Greenville,  grasped  my  hand, 
and  said:  ''Mr.  Green,  you  have  made  just  the  speech 
which  I  have  desired  to  make,  all  this  session;  but,  from 
policy  sake,  have  not  dared  to  do." 

I  soon  found  that  Senator  Allen  was  correct;  for,  on 
returning  to  Bennettsville,  I  ascertained  that  a  garbled 
report  of  my  address  had  out-run  me.  It  was  reported 
and  current,  that  I  had  said,  that,  none,  save  "college- 
bred  men,"  should  be  elected  to  office,  and  since  there 
were  no  men  of  that  class  amongst  the  Republican  voters 

144 


of  that  county,  I  readily  deciphered  the  handwriting  on 
the  wall,  for  me.  My  political  name  was  henceforth 
'Dennis !' 

This  convention,  elected  me  an  alternate  to  the  Phil- 
adelphia National  Convention,  which  re-nominated  Presi- 
dent Grant,  for  President,  I  represented  the  First  Con- 
gressional District  of  South  Carolina,  and  it  was  my  first 
appearance,  in  National  politics. 

The  swamp,  in  the  rear  of  my  little  home,  at  the  foot 
of  the  hill,  breathing  forth  poisonous  miasmata,  during 
the  summer  season,  having  impaired  my  health,  and 
threatened  the  life  of  both  my  wife  and  our  baby-boy,  I 
suddenly  concluded  that  I  would,  "pull  up  my  stakes,*' 
and  return  to  Cleveland;  there,  "for  better  or  for  worse/* 
to  tiy  the  fates  as  a  member  of  the  Ohio  bar. 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  record  these  facts,  I  had 
run  over  to  the  office  of  Colonel  C.  W.  Dudley,  the  Nestor 
of  the  town,  surrendered  to  him  my  deed  and  all  claim  on 
the  hill-side  lot  of  land;  giving  to  cousin  William  Brew- 
ington,  the  horse  which  I  was  buying,  and  for  the  full 
payment  of  which  he  v/as  surety ;  sold  to  him,  in  bulk,  the 
contents  of  the  little  grocery ;  distributed  gi-atis  some  and 
crated  others  of  our  meagre  household  effects,  and  were 
eniX)ute  towards  Fayetteville,  N.  C. 

No  tongue  can  ever  express  the  joy  of  my  wife,  when 
she  clearly  understood  that  she,  "really  and  trully''  was 
leaving  Bennettsville,  to  return  no  more.  Her  latitude 
to  God  and  her  husband,  knew  no  bounds,  and  she  re- 
ferred to  the  event  during  the  remainder  of  her  life. 

We  had  some  true  and  tried  friends  there,  of  both 
races,  who  regretted  to  see  us  leave ;  even  Colonel  Dudley, 
who  generally  represented  the  sentiment  of  the  white 
people  of  the  county,  said  to  me,  "If  you  had  permitted 
the  white  people  to  take  you  up  and  fight  Maxwell,  you 
could  have  succeeded  politically  and  othei*wise."  However, 
that  policy  was  out  of  the  question.  I  v/as  colored,  and  i 

145 


was  a  black— Abraham  Lincoln,  John  Brown,  Frederick 
Douglass  Republican,  and  everybody  knew  it.  How  then, 
could  I,  with  Democrats  of  that  day,  join  hands  and  fight 
Maxwell  and  his  hosts ;  many  of  whom  walked  from  Red 
Bank,  twenty  miles  distant,  to  vote  for  Ulysses  S.  Grant, 
as  against  Hoi*ace  Greeley ! 


146 


CHAPTER  VII. 
BACK  TO  CLEVELAND. 

In  the  city  of  Fayett^ville,  we  found  ourselves  in  the 
midst  of  many  relatives  and  warm  hearted  friends,  two  of 
whom,  most  highly  prized  by  us,  were  Mr.  A.  J.  Chesnutt, 
father  of  Charles  W.  Chesnutt,  Esquire,  author  and  schol- 
ai-,  whose  name  I  have  mentioned  heretofore;  and  the 
other  was,  the  late  Mrs.  Sophia  Carter,  a  sister  of  Mr.  A. 
J.  Chesnutt,  who  temporarily,  in  a  motherly  way,  received 
my  dear  wife,  and  made  her  comfortable  and  happ/,  as 
long  as  we  remained  there.  We  left,  with  Mrs.  Carter, 
a  cook  stove  (rara  vis,  in  that  part  of  the  countiy),  con- 
ditioned that,  when  convenient,  she  should  remit  to  us  the 
sum  of  fifteen  dollars,  the  purchase  price  of  the  same.  Of 
this  transaction  more  anon. 

Arriving  in  Cleveland,  after  spending  a  month  as  the 
guest  of  my  dear  mother  and  sisters,  we  rented  a  suite  of 
two  rooms,  on  the  second  floor  of  a  frame  dwelling  house 
(still  standing)  in  Brownell  street,  (now  E.  14th),  fur- 
nished it  at  an  expense  of  twenty-seven  dollars,  and 
moved  into  it.  It  was  now  near  winter,  and  the  remainder 
of  cash,  v/hich  I  had  brought  with  me  from  Bennettsville 
had  dwindled  down  to  a  negligible  amount ;  and,  as  I  was 
not  known  in  Cleveland,  as  a  lawyer,  I  began  to  have 
visions  of  the  "gaunt  finger  of  want." 

Under  these  conditions,  the  late  R.  L.  Holden  and  I 

147 


planned  and  executed  a  tour  of  some  of  the  prominent 
cities  of  the  east,  including  some  of  those  which  I  had 
visited  in  my  school  days,  when  I  sold  my  little  book,  and 
lectured.  During  this  tour,  we  acted  in  a  dual  capacity; 
I  lecturing  first,  and  Holden  follovv^ing,  with  some  "side- 
splitting" stories.  We  were  well  treated,  and  received 
enough  money  to  defray  all  expenses ;  but,  little  more,  and 
on  my  return  to  my  wife  and  two  babies,  now,  I  found 
myself  in  the  most  dire  strait,  financially,  I  had  ever  been 
in  before,  even  more  so  than  when  I  took  that  midnight 
trip  to  Laurinburg,  for,  then,  I  had  no  rent  to  pay,  on  the 
spot;  and  I  had  only  one  baby  to  care  for;  moreover,  I 
could  see  flitting  around  and  past  me  youths  and  men  of 
my  acquaintance,  who  had  never  orated  in  public,  and 
whose  names  had  never  been  blazed  forth  as  an  orator, 
hero,  lawyer,  and  what  not;  yet,  sleek  and  well  clad,  still 
acting  in  the  role  of  waiters  and  menials,  while  I  was, 
almost,  "hungry  and  naked." 

I  was  out  of  coal,  with  the  mercury  at  almost  zero; 
my  rent  was  in  arrears,  with  no  prospect  of  payment; 
and  the  larder  was  well  nigh  empty.  In  this  plight,  Mr. 
Cicero  M.  Richardson,  one  of  the  foremost  and  well  to  do 
citizens  of  color,  kindly  sent  me  a  few  bushels  of  coal; 
and  none  too  soon;  another  dear  good  friend,  Mr.  James 
Thompson,  a  Roman  Catholic,  small  of  stature  and  very 
dark,  visited  me,  and  gave  me  of  his  advice  and  assist- 
ance ;  a  favor  which,  later,  on  I  repaid,  in  kind,  of  which 
he  never  knew. 

I  went  out  into  the  city  amongst  several  of  my  erst- 
while colored  friends  and  tried  to  persuade  them  to  loan 
me  the  sum  of  five  dollars;  but,  in  vain.  I  regret  to  say, 
they  proved  to  be  in  a  worse  financial  condition  that  I 
myself  was;  provided,  they  told  me  the  truth.  I  then  went 
to  Mr.  Byron  Hunt,  a  white  man,  clerk  at  the  old  Birch 
House,  where  I  worked,  for  my  meals,  during  a  part  of 

148 


my  school  days;  he  loaned  it  to  me,  without  hesitation; 

and,  I  afterwards  returned  it  to  him. 

I  went  to  a  grocery  store,  around  the  comer  of  East 

14th  street  (Brownell)  and  Prospect  street,  and  filled  my 

basket  with  groceries,  one  morning;  but,  not  having 
money  sufficient  to  pay  the  bill  in  full,  I  handed  him  back 
the  butter.  Arriving  at  home,  v/e  ate  our  bread  without 
butter,  which  I  had  often  done  before. 

Frequently,  I  attended  the  police  court,  hoping 
against  fate,  that,  somebody,  of  all  would  retain  me  to 
defend  him ;  but  in  vain.  What  knov/ledge  had  they  of  my 
legal  ability  or  the  contrary?  None  at  all.  Some  of  them 
perchance  had  heard  of  me  as  being  an  apt  and  success- 
ful school  boy,  and  that,  I  had  been  graduated  from  the 
Law  College,  but,  the  report  of  my  signal  success,  at  the 
South  Carolina  Bar  had  not  reached  them,  and,  when  the 
life,  liberty  or  property  of  a  man  is  at  stake,  he  wants  the 
best  and  most  influential  lawyer  he  can  obtain.  But — 

"Let  Hercules  do  as  he  may; 

The  cat  will  mew,  and  the  dog  will  have  his  day!" 

and  my  day  finally  came,  when,  a  young  colored  man, 
J.  A.  Hawkins,  by  name  (long  since  deceased) ,  w^ho  was 
unjustly  accused  of  an  offense,  seeing  me  in  the  court 
room,  came  to  me  and  gave  me  a  retainer  of  twenty-five 
dollars,  to  defend  him !  To  say  I  was  pleased,  only  mildly 
expresses  the  sensation  which  nearly  overwhelmed  me; 
not  more  by  reason  of  the  retainer,  than  because  it  would 
give  me  an  opportunity  of  being  seen  and  heard  in  that 
legal  arena,  where  I  was  destined,  for  so  many  long 
years,  to  ''strut  and  fret,"  and  contend,  as  an  advocate 
of  justice  between  man  and  man,^  anB  "The  State  of  Ohio 
and  the  defendant,  at  the  Bar." 

Mr.  Hawkins  was  speedily  aquitted;  and  went  from 
the  presence  of  the  court,   "without  delay,"   to  blazon 

149 


forth  my  merits  as  a  lawyer;  and  thereby,  assist  me  in 
securing  my  ''daily  bread", — butter  or  no  butter. 

It  was  a  pecular  coincidence  that,  just  before  Mr. 
Hawkins  retained  me,  when  I  was,  once  more  "dead 
broke,"  I  received  a  letter  from  that  dear  Mrs.  Sophia 
Carter  enclosing  three  five  dollar  bills,  in  payment  of  the 
little  cookstove,  which  we  had  placed  in  her  possession  on 
leaving  Fayetteville.  Truly,  for  us,  I  could  say  with 
Romeo, 

"Night's  candles  are  burnt  out,  and  jocund  day 
Stands  tip-toe  on  the  misty  mountain  tops." 

We  had  now,  forty  dollars,  in  cash,  at  our  disposal; 
and  I  was  determined  to  make  the  most  of  it,  and  from 
that  time  down  to  the  present  day,  we  have  been  above 
sheer  want;  and,  at  times,  able  to  cast  a  little  bread  on 
the  waters. 

The  advent  of  the  municipal  election,  drew  near, 
a  mayor  was  to  be  elected,  and  various  and  sundry  muni- 
cipal afficials,  including  a  number  of  justices  of  the 
peace,  to  serve  the  township  cmd  city  of  Cleveland,  dur- 
ing the  ensuing  three  years.  In  that  contingency,  to  my 
great  surprise  and  gratification,  up  rose  Pard  B.  Smith, 
sheriff  of  Cuyahoga  County,  Ohio,  William  T.  Clark,  Esq., 
attorney  at  law  (in  whose  office  I  had  my  desk)  and 
"Johnnie"  Francisco,  highly  esteemed  veteran  of  the  Civil 
war;  and,  in  the  convention  they  wrought  so  manfully 
and  successfully  that,  I  received  the  nomination,  for  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  at  the  hands  of  the  Republican  party. 
At  the  same  time,  John  Huntington,  Esq.,  was  nominated 
for  mayor. 

When  the  votes  were  counted  on  the  night  of  the 
first  Monday  in  April,  1873,  the  results  proved  that  Mr. 
Huntington  was  defeated  by  more  than  twelve  hundred; 
w^hile  this  writer  was  elected,  by  more  than  three  thous- 
and majority. 

150 


This  was  the  first  instance  within  my  memory,  of 
the  election  of  a  colored  man  to  any  office,  in  the  state  of 
Ohio;  and,  to  the  best  of  my  knowledge,  the  first  time  a 
colored  man  was  elected  to  a  judicial  office,  in  the  great, 
North,  East  and  West.  In  the  former  slave  states,  where 
the  colored  voters,  assisted  by  a  few  white  men,  were  in 
the  majority,  and  members  of  the  race,  who  could  neither 
read  nor  write,  were,  in  some  instances,  elected  even  to 
the  law  making  branch,  it  was  different.  When  I  attended 
a  state  convention  in  Columbia,  South  Carolino,  I  met  and 
associated  with  Justice  Wright,  a  pure  Negro,  who  was 
an  associate  justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  that  august 
state;  the  home  of  the  Rhetts,  the  Barnwells,  and  of  John 
C.  Calhoun,  of  senatorial  fame.  *1 

I  rented  the  office  and  succeeded  to  the  judicial 
functions  of  the  late  "General"  David  L.  Wood;  and, 
thereafter,  for  nine  consecutive  years,  by  re-elections,  I 
remained  one  of  the  justices  of  the  peace  of  this  populous 
wealthy  and  intelligent  city  of  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

In  order  that  the  significance  of  my  promotion  may 
be  fully  appreciated,  it  may  be  recorded,  that  the  bond 
required  of  a  justice,  was  five  thousand  dollars  (which 
would  be  equal  to  ten  thousand  dollars  now) .  My  bond  wa^ 
signed  on  the  several  occasions  by  the  late  W.  C.  Mc-^ 
Farland,  the  same  attorney  whose  office  I  cared  for,  when 
I  was  in  the  Law  College,  in  1369.  An  able,  kind  and  gen- 
erous man  was  Mr.  McFarland  and  in  his  death,  the  Cleve- 
land Bar  sustained  a  real  loss. 

Justices  of  the  peace,  at  that  time  had,  in  civil  cases, 
jurrisdiction  to  the  amount  of  three  hundred  dollars. 
Exclusive  jurisdiction  in  Forcible  Entry  and  Forcible 
Entry  and  Detainer  cases;  and  examining  powders  in  all 
felonies  and  misdemeanors,  from  murder  down.  Which 
made  the  court  of  justice  of  the  peace  of  more  importance 
than  that  of  Municipal  Judge  in  Washington,  D.  C,  or 
elsewhere  at  that  time.  Moreover,  it  was  an  elective  office 

151 


by  a  majority  of  the  votes  of  the  people;  which  I  have 
always  considered,  the  most  honorable  way  of  obtaining 
office,  no  matter  of  what  importance. 

Amongst  the  conspicuous  lawyers  who  appeared  in 
my  court  and  transacted  legal  business,  may  be  men- 
tioned, ex-senator  Theodore  E,  Burton,  who  informed  me, 
when  he  was  a  notable  candidate  for  the  Presidency,  that, 
he  tried  his  first  case  in  my  court.  Mr.  Andrew  Squire, 
who,  at  that  time  was  a  youthful  practitioner,  also  tried 
cases  before  me,  as  did  the  late  Virgil  P.  Kline,  R.  E.  Mix, 
C.  W.  Noble,  and  Mr.  John  G.  Vv^hite,  now  famous  as  a 
jurist. 

Thomas  J.  Carran,  John  J.  Carran  and  Mr.  William 
Heisley,  all  able  attorneys,  gave  me  business  and  ap- 
peared in  my  justice's  court.  A  long  list  would  be  re- 
quired to  contain  all  the  names  of  those  attorneys,  living 
and  dead,  who  honored  me  with  their  business  and  pres- 
ence. The  Honorable  Myron  T.  Herrick,  ex-governor  of 
Ohio,  and  ex-U.  S.  Ambassador  to  France,  says  to  me,  in 
a  postscript  to  a  nice  letter,  *M  recall  that  you  were  one  of 
my  first  friends  when,  as  a  young  man,  I  was  admitted 
to  the  Bar." 

Johnnie  McGraw,  C.  R.  Heller  and  James  Sweeney, 
(the  first  and  third  of  Irish  descent) ,  were  two  of  my  con- 
stables ;  while  Parker  Hare,  L.  W.  Turner  and  J.  H.  Wash- 
ington, all  colored  men,  were,   at  times,   in  my  office. 
Parker  Hare,  for  five  consecutive  years. 

While  I  was  serving  my  second  term,  as  justice  of 
the  peace,  in  1877,  I  was  nominated,  by  the  Republican 
party  of  Cuyahoga  County,  for  the  lower  branch  of  the 
tJ^neral  Assembly  of  Ohio.  The  canvass  was  long  and,  at 
times,  exciting.  I  "stumped"  the  whole  county,  and  tried 
to  meet  the  objections  of  a  colored  man,  now  deceased, 
Madison  Telley,  by  name,  residing  in  the  Hay  market 
district,  who  was  favoring  the  Democratic  ticket,  and 
fcoast^  that  he  would  defeat   me.    There  was  another 

152 


man  (white) ,  Wilson  Treat,  by  name,  who  resided  in  the 
"old  Eleventh"  ward,  on  the  West  side  of  the  river,  who 
quite  effectively,  opposed  me ;  because,  when  he  was  in  his 
"cups",  he  squeezed  one  of  my  hands  until  small  beads  of 
blood  oozed  from  the  roots  of  two  of  my  finger  nails ;  and 
I  then  and  there,  "insulted"  him  by  telling  him  what  1 
thought  of  him ;  which  was  not  flattering,  by  any  means. 
The  next  morning  after  the  election,  I  was  declared 
elected,  by  sixty-two  majority  over  the  late  John  C.  Cov- 
ert, at  that  time,  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Cleveland 
Leader.  The  late  Edwin  Cowles,  who,  with  the  late  Joseph 
Medill  of  the  Chicago  Tribune  founded  the  Leader,  and 
for  many  years,  made  it  a  great  power  for  the  abolition 
of  slavery, — the  preservation  of  our  glorious  Union  and 
a  true  wholesome  Americanism,  was  Emeritus,  then, 
while  young  men  were  at  the  helm.  My  election  was  bla- 
zoned forth  with  big  head  lines  in  all  the  daily  papers. 

Great  was  the  consternation  of  the  friends  and  sup- 
porters of  Mr.  Covert;  they  had  "run"  him  as  a  champion 
of  the  demand  that  all  church  property  should  be  taxed 
thereby,  to  inflict  a  telling  if  not  mortal  blow,  on  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  in  Ohio. 

Another  night  passed,  when  an  alleged  recount  of 
the  ballots  cast  for  me  was  had,  in  "old  ward  No.  Four", 
which  had  its  headquarters  in  the  engine  house,  still 
standing,  in  East  18th  street,  (then  Huntington  Street), 
near  Central  avenue;  the  result  of  the  recount,  as  an- 
nounced, on  the  following  morning,  was  that,  they  had 
thrown  out  eighty-four  votes,  previously  counted  for 
me, — because  they  could  not  determine  whether  they 
were  intended  for  me  or  for  F.  W.  Green,  one  of  the  nom- 
inees on  the  Democratic  ticket! 

Thus,  they  declared  me  defeated ;  and  John  C.  Covert 
was  declared  elected,  by  a  small  majority;  and  he  was 
subsequently,  re-elected,  and  served  four  years  as  a  law 
maker  of  the  great  State  of  Ohio;  but,  as  far  as  I  can  see 

153 


the  taxation  of  church  propei*ty,  belonging  to  the  protest-^ 
ant  or  Catholic  congregations,  remains  as  it  was  at  and 
before  the  time  of  Mr.  Covert's  "election." 

Ex-Mayor  R.  R.  Herrick  and  Colonel  Louis  Smithnight, 
were  the  "bosses"  of  that  ward,  at  that  time.  I  am  not 
sure  that  they  were  cognizant  of  the  recount  which  was. 
made,  in  the  absence  of  myself  and  m.y  political  friends. 

I  was  advised,  by  many  voters,  of  all  races,  to  go  to 
Columbus  and  contest  the  election  (?)  of  Mr.  Covert; 
but,  I  had  neither  time  nor  money  to  do  so;  and  I  let  it 
drop,awaiting  another  opportunity  to  win  promotion. 

During  the  nine  years  of  my  service,  as  justice  of  the 
peace,  I  also,  practiced  law,  principally  in  the  criminal 
branch  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas ;  and,  in  that  sphere 
of  action,  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  be  confronted  by 
some  courteous  and  able  attorneys,  who  prosecuted  for 
the  State  of  Ohio.  Amongst  these  were  the  late  Homer 
B.  DeWolf,  William  Robinson,  S.  M.  Eddy,  Peter  H. 
Kaiser,  Alex  Hadden,  Edward  P.  Slade ;  and  last,  but  not 
least,  our  present  Judge  W.  B.  Neff,  who,  for  so  many 
years,  has  presided  with  learning  and  dignity,  in  our 
Court  of  Common  Pleas. 

The  first  "murder  case,"  in  which  I  defended,  in 
Cleveland,  was  that  of  the  State  of  Ohio  vs.  Stephen 
Hood,  charged  with  murder  in  the  first  degree,  in  the 
premeditated  killing  of  his  foster  son,  "Green."  It  was, 
charged  that,  early  one  sprim^*  morning,  Hood  took  his 
two  boys  Fred  and  "Green"  to  the  camping  gi-ounds, 
from  which  a  circus  had  just  departed,  ostensibly,  to 
search  for  lost  money  and  other  things  of  value;  and 
that,  after  searching  for  a  short  time,  he  went  into  a 
neighboring  wood,  accompanied  by  "Green,"  and  pounded 
his  head  almost  into  jelly,  and  left  the  coipse  there,  to 
be  discovered,  later  on,  by  searchei-s  for  him. 

Hood  professed  innocence ;  and  that,  he  had  no  recol- 
lection of  committing  the  deed ;  and  the  fact,  which  was. 

154 


not  disputed,  that  Hood  had  adopted  the  boy,  had  always, 
been  kind  to  him,  and  even  protected  him  when  his  wife 
would  chastize  him,  left  us  all  in  doubt,  as  to  whether  or 
not,  if  he  did  commit  the  act,  he  did  it  when  in  a  rational 
condition. 

I  adopted  the  defense  of  insanity,  and  proved,  as  I 
thought,  that  Hood  was  subject  to  hallucinations,  when,, 
his  mind  was  unbalanced ;  and  argued  that,  if  he  did  kill 
the  boy,  it  was  done  when  he  was  under  the  influence  of 
one  of  these  spells.  William  T.  Clark,  Esq.,  then  a  young 
attorney,  by  my  request,  came  into  the  case  to  assist  me ; 
and  very  ably  aided  me  in  the  entire  defense.  The  late 
Judge  R.  F.  Paine  presided  and  conducted  the  case  with 
his  well  known  judicial  ability,  fairness  and  honor;  w^hile 
Mr.  Homer  B.  De  Wolf,  young,  energetic  learned  and  able 
prosecuted,  for  the  State. 

The  trial  lasted  a  number  of  days,  and  the  court 
room  was  filled  to  the  doors.  Finally,  the  couit  having 
charged  the  jury,  it  retired  in  the  afternoon  and  remained 
out,  all  night.  On  the  following  morning,  the  foreman 
handed  in  a  sealed  verdict  of  guilty  of  murder  in  the  first 
degree.  No  sooner  had  the  verdict  been  read  and  the  jury- 
polled,  than,  it  became  known  that,  the  jury,  in  its  de- 
liberations, duiing  the  previous  night,  had  made  use  of 
some  law  books,  which  had  been  negligently,  left  in  the 
jury  room;  and  that,  one  of  the  jurors  had  assumed  the 
i-ole  of  Judge,  mounted  the  platform,  and,  from  the 
Judge's  Bench,  had  expounded  the  law.  I  should  have 
said,  before,  that  the  jury  was  locked  up  in  the  Court. 
room,  to  deliberate. 

We  obtained  the  affidavits  of  several  of  the  jurors,. 
estabhshing  these  facts ;  but,  owing  to  a  decision  ren- 
dered by  our  Supreme  Court,  to  the  effect,  that,  the  oath 
of  a  juror  will  not  be  received  to  impeach  the  verdict  of  his 
fellow  jurors,  the  verdict  was  not  set  aside  by  Judge 
Paine.  We  took  the  case,  on  error,  to  the  Supreme  Court ;, 

155 


but,  met  with  the  same  refusal,  and  that  is  the  law  of 
of  Ohio,  to  this  day. 

Failing  to  get  any  relief  from  any  legal  source,  I  went 
to  Chilicothe,  Ohio,  where  resided  Governor  Allen,  some- 
times called  "Fog  Honi"  Bill  Allen,  in  token  of  his  sten- 
torean  voice,  which  waked  the  echoes  amongst  the  hills 
of  southern  Ohio,  when  he  spoke  at  political  gatherings, 
many-many  years  ago.  The  governor  had   retired   from 
active  political  life ;  but  the  exegencies  of  the  Democratic 
party  had  called  him  forth  from  his  beautiful  and  peace- 
ful country  home,  "Fruit  Hill,"  which  was  nestled  in  the 
suburbs  of  Ohio's  former  capital,  to  do  valiant  service 
and  once  more  reinstate  his  party  and  himself  in  power. 
The  Governor,  a  gentleman  of  the  tjrpe  and  character 
of  the  days  of  Calhoun  and  Clay  and  Stanley,  received 
me  with  all  the  indications  of  good  breeding  and  gentil- 
ity; and,  after  thoroughly  discussing  the  merits  of  the 
case,  launched  out  into  a  sea  of  reminiscences  of  his  con- 
gressional career,  and  did  me  the  honor  to  state,  that  he 
served  in  Congress  and  was  well  acquainted  with  the  late 
Edward  Stanley  (mentioned  m  the  first  chapter)  one  of 
my  reputed  uncles.    Upon  the  whole,  my  hour  and  a  half 
was  spent  with  pleasure  and  profit,  in  the  home  of  this 
distinguished  statesman ;  and  I  left  him.,  the  wiser  for  my 
visit  to  him,  but,  vdthout  profit  to  my  client. 

Hood  had  to  die.  I  advised  him  and  tried  to  nerve  him 
for  that  horrid  ordeal ;  and,  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
him  firm  in  step  and  every  movement,  as  he  mounted 
and  stood  upon  the  **Trap"  of  the  gallows,  before  he  was 
launched  into  eternity.  After  the  fall,  a  few  shrugs  and 
tremors  of  the  swaying  body,  were  the  only  indications 
that  it  had  any  life  in  it,  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  the  doc- 
tors pronounced  him  dead. 

I  could  never  get  from  him  a  confession  of  the  deed, 
And  I  still  believe,  that,  when  he  killed  that  unfortunate 
boy,  he  v/as  non  composmenl^s,  not  of  sound  mind. 

156 


Many  other  men  and  women,  indicted  for  murder  in 
the  first,  and  second  degree,  I  defended,  while  I  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace,  but,  to  even  mention  the  cases 
briefly,  would  tire  the  reader  of  this  narative,  so,  I  wil 
desist;  later  on,  it  may  be  necessary  to  make  reference 
to  one  or  more  of  my  experiences,  in  order  to  bring  to  the 
front  some  of  the  public  actors  in  the  dramas ;  but,  until 
then,  let  the  foregoing  suffice. 

While  engaged  as  justice  of  the  peace,  it  was  my 
pleasure  and,  indirectly,  my  profit,  to  miake  the  acquaint- 
ance of  a  number  of  young  gentlemen  connected  with  the 
daily  Press  of  Cleveland,  who,  afterwards  become  noted 
and,  in  two  instances,  at  least,  famous  as  journalists.  The 
first  of  these  was  the  renouned  Frank  G.  Carpenter,  who 
has,  since,  under  the  patronage,  more  or  less,  of  Presi- 
dents and  other  high  officials  of  the  United  States,  and 
of  Royalty,  in  Europe  and  Asia,  traveled  over  the  whole 
civilized  world;  and,  as  a  correspondent  of  syndicated 
newspapers  and  other  publications,  contributed  much 
towards  the  enlightenment  of  mankind. 

I  recay  Mr.  Carpenter,  as  a  frecklefaced,  diminnui- 
tive  young  gentleman,  with  an  abundance  of  ruddy  hair. 
He  was,  then,  connected  with  the  news  department  of 
the  Cleveland  Daily  Leader,  and  in  his  quest  of  news 
items  for  his  paper,  was  the  soul  of  energy  and  persis- 
tency. I,  for  a  lon^:  time,  looked  forward  to  his  daily 
calls,  and  did  my  "bit"  in  securing  and  furnishing  to  him 
whatever  of  interest  I  thought  would  be  of  value  to  him; 
and,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  he  reciprocated  the  favor 
by  making  notice  of  me  and  my  office^  in  the  Leader  in  a 
way  that  was  of  substantial  benefit  to  me. 

Another  young  gentleman  with  whom  I  became  much 
more  familiarly  acquainted,  was  Mr.  R.  F.  Paine,  Jr.,  son 
of  Judge  R.  F.  Paine,  the  learned  jurivSt  who  presided  on 
the  bench,  during  the  trial  of  Stephen  Hood,  of  whose  un- 
fortunate ending,  I  have  just  spoken.    Mr.  Paine  repre- 

157 


sented  one  of  the  departments  of  the  *Tenny  Press,"  as 
the  Cleveland  Press  was  then  denominated,  and  it  was 
largely  through  his  indefatigable  energy  and  skill,  that 
the  Press  changed  its  name  and  became  one  of  the  great 
and  influential  papers  of  Northern  Ohio. 

He  too,  in  the  commencement  of  his  journalistic  cai*eer 
came  regularly  to  my  office,  in  search  of  news  items; 
and  we  all,  justice,  clerk  and  constables,  were  pleased  to 
accommodate  him,  when  practicable.  In  return  for  these, 
alleged  favors,  Mr.  Paine  did  us  many  favors  in  the  way 
of  advertising  the  office,  which  of  coiu'se,  meant,  finan- 
cial profit  to  us. 

I  can  never  forget  the  largo  heartedness  of  this  gen- 
tleman when,  years  afterwards,  as  the  managing  editor 
of  the  Press,  he  ran  a  conspicuous  portrait  of  this  writer, 
on  the  front  page  of  the  Press,  gratis ;  which  contributed, 
substantially,  towards  the  election  of  the  writer  to  a  much 
higher  and  more  honorable  office  than  the  one  then  held 
by  him ;  and  again,  after  my  return  from  a  trip  in  Ire- 
liand,  he  published  a  lengthy  letter,  written  by  me,  des- 
criptive of  my  tour,  in  the  Press,  and  paid  me,  hands^ome- 
ly,  for  it. 

I  may  be  excused  for  recording  an  interesting 
event,  connected  with  the  Penny  Press,  at  the  inception 
of  its  publication  in  Cleveland;  which,  I  think,  was  the 
indirect  cause  of  Mr.  Paine's  connection  with  that  paper. 

There  was  a  young  man,  since  deceased,  by  the  name 
of  Maurice  Perkins,  who  was  connected  with  the  news 
departm.ent  of  that  paper,  from  its  inception  here.  Mr. 
Perkins  was  energy  personified;  and  he  could  write  a 
story  which  every  one  would  stop  to  read.  In  one  of  the 
«arly  editions,  appeared  an  article,  quite  readable,  which 
greatly  displeased  a  member  of  a  great  business  firm  of 
the  city.  A  day  or  so,  later  on,  in  pursuance  of  an  invi- 
tation extended  to  him,  Mr.  Perkins  visited  the  place  of 
business  of  the  aforesaid  young  gentleman;  and,  while 

158 


"in  there  alone,  he  received  such  treatment,  (in  which  tar 
played  a  conspicuous  part.)  that  he  subsequently  was 
confined  to  his  bed,  and  his  health  was  seriously  impaired. 
I  think  it  was  about  this  time  that  Judge  Paine  was  re- 
tained by  the  paper,  and  his  talented  son  became  one  of 
its  reportorial  staff. 

Mention  has  already  been  made,  in  the  foregoing,  of 
>a  number  of  prominent  attorneys  at  law,  who  practiced, 
t>ccasionally,  in  my  office;  but  they  were,  for  the  most 
part,  pei^sons  who  were  young  in  the  profession,  at  that 
time;  attention  will  now  be  called  to  several  of  riper 
years,  who  were  conspicuous  for  their  learning  and  suc- 
cess; and,  as  that  Nestor  of  our  Bar,  W.  S.  Kerruish, 
Esq.,  was  in  the  same  hall,  where  my  office  was  located, 
and  only  about  fifteen  feet  removed  from  it,  I  will  first 
mention  him.  Mr.  Kerruish,  then  a  man  of  middle  age, 
and  residing  with  his  large  and  interesting  family,  in 
Woodland  Avenue,  which  was  then  a  beautiful  residence 
street,  was  a  very  active  practitioner.  He  spoke  the  Ger- 
man language,  fairly  well,  and  by  reason  of  this  fact, 
brought  into  his  office  a  clientel,  largely  German. 

In  the  same  hall,  occupying  an  office  contiguous  to 
mine,  was  George  A.  Kolbe,  Esq.,  a  justice  of  the  peace, 
of  m.any  years'  experience,  who,  with  a  noble  band  of  asso- 
ciates had,  literally  escaped  from  Germany  after  the  col- 
lapse of  their  attempted  revolution,  finding  asylum  and 
protection  here  in  the  United  States.  At  the  same  time, 
came  Carl  Schurz,  Franz  Siegel,  Jacob  Mueller,  August 
Thieme,  J.  W.  Schmidt,  Esquire  Boehne,  Edward  Bohm 
and  many  others.  I  think  they  are  all  deceased  now ;  but, 
in  their  day,  they  were  all  politically  influential  and  did 
much  to  stimulate  the  study  of  the  Gennan  language  in 
our  schools,  and  to  foster  the  love  of  their  fatherland, 
which  during  the  world  war,  made  so  much  inconvenience 
^md  trouble  for  some  of  their  successors. 

Squire  Kolbe  was  veiy  fond  of  Mr.  Kenniish,  for  the 

159 


reason  that  he  spoke  German ;  and  exerted  himself  to  add 
to  the  number  of  his  clients  in  every  practical  way.  I 
suspect,  also,  that,  there  was  a  reciprocal  feeling  for  the 
squire  on  the  part  of  the  able  lawyer. 

Mr.  Kerruish  was  cosmopolitan  in  his  feeUngs  and 
conduct;  he  was  generous  and  liberal,  and  conceded  to 
every  man  the  right  to  the  same  enjoyment  of  all  the 
constitutional  rights  which  he  and  his  enjoyed,  without 
regard  to  race  or  color. 

I  recall,  an  anecdote  which  h'3  has  relate«i  to  me  on 
seferal  occasions,  during  the  past  foi*ty-seven  years  of 
our  acquaintance,  which  proved  plainly,  the  character- 
istics of  the  youth,  as  developed  in  the  man.  lie  with 
some  of  his  classmates,  who  were  students  at  Western 
Reserve  College,  when  it  was  located  at  Hudson,  Ohio,  in 
the  early  Fifties  extended  an  invitation  to  Frederick 
Douglass,  who  was  then  famous,  throughout  the  land, 
for  his  eloquence  and  the  strenuous  fight  he  was  making 
for  the  abolition  of  slavery,  in  the  United  States,  to  ad- 
dress them  in  the  big  tent,  in  the  Campus  in  Hudson,  on 
the  annual  occasion.  The  President  and  Faculty  de- 
murred; and  endeavored  to  persuade  them  to  cancel  the 
invitation;  but  they  were  abdurate,  wou-d  not  yield;  as 
a  consequence,  at  the  appointed  time,  Mr.  Douglass,  made 
his  appearance;  and,  in  his  own  telling  way,  addressed 
an  immense  throng,  which  completely  filled  the  big  tent. 
In  answering  an  argument  (?)  which  was  frequently  put 
forth,  by  the  slave  holders  and  their  No  ft  hern  friends, 
that  one  of  the  proofs  of  the  Negroes  inf minority  was  that, 
he  had  a  ''weak  voice",  Mr.  Kerruish  says,  that,  when  he 
uttered  that  phraze  "weak  voice",  he  used  the  power  of 
Gargantua,  or  roared  like  one  of  the  bul's  of  Bashan.  Mr. 
Kerruish  derives  great  pleasure,  from  the  telling  of  this 
anecdote  of  his  school  days. 

During  my  official  career,  as  justice  of  the  peace,  an 
incident    occurred    which    very    forcibly    displayed    thi.> 

160 


characteristic  of  love  of  fair  play,  as  developed  in  Mr. 
Kerruish,  which  I  will  here,  record. 

Not  feeling  in  the  best  of  health,  I  went  to  the  restau- 
rant of  the  late  Captain  J.  M.  Richards,  on  the  site  of  ihe 
present  American  Trust  Building  (of  which  I  have 
already  spoken),  and  was  refused  service  of  a  meal, 
because  the  enclosed  "stalls"  were  occupied.  I  suggested 
to  the  usher,  that,  I  was  willing  to  eat  at  the  outer  table, 
where  I  saw  numbers  of  young  lav/yers,  and  others,  eat- 
ing. The  usher  ("Harm,''  I  think  they  called  him),  said, 
0,  I  can't  seat  a  colored  man  at  that  table;  the  Captain 
would  raise  the  d 1  if  I  should  do  that!" 

So,  with  my  heart  "bowed  down"  and  my  stomach 
empty,  I  left  the  place  and  betook  me  to  the  office  of  th?it 
grand  old  patriarch,  Probate  Judge,  Danniel  R.  Tilden, 
v/ho,  for  more  than  thirty  years,  was  not  only  Probate 
Judge  of  Cuyahoga  County,  but,  was  also  a  father  to  the 
fatherless,  and  a  very  kind  friend  in  need  to  those  who 
called  on  him. 

I  found  sitting  with  him,  that  John  Marshall  of  our 
Ohio  Constitution,  of  1851,  the  late  Judge  Rufus  P. 
Ranney,  who,  as  a  member  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Ohio, 
had  made  his  name  famous,  for  all  time,  for  his  legal 
learning,  as  seen  in  the  constructions  placed  by  him  on 
that  important  document. 

I  related  to  them  my  experience  in  the  restaurant  of 
Captain  Richards;  which  greatly  surprised  and  chagrined 
them.  both.  "V/hy,  did  J-K>e  do  that?"  said  Judge  Ranney. 
''Is  that  a  fact?"  asked  Judge  Tilden.  "Why  Dan,"  said 
Judge  Ranney,  "Green  and  my  Charlie  used  to  «o  to 
school  together!"  From  these  good  men.  I  went  to" Ker- 
ruish. "Green,"  he  said,  tomorrow,  we  will  go  to  that 
place;  and  if  they  refuse  to  seat  and  sei-sre  you,  we  will 
kick  the  table  over,  get  arrested,  and  let  the  whole  thing 
go  before  the  people,  that  a  justice  of  the  peace  of  Cleve- 
land cannot  buy  a  meal  in  an  ordinary  re^^taurant!!" 

161 


On  the  following  day.  at  noon,  Kei  fuish  and  I  went, 
side  by  side,  to  the  same  restaurant ;  fully  detenn-'ned  to 
oveii;um  the  table,  if  the  "justice"  were  not  sensed. 
Wtien  we  entered,  **Haiin"  (?)  the  usher  looked  at  us. 
drew  a  chair  for  each  of  us,  and  we  both  were  politely  and 
satisfactorily  served,  according  to  our  or^jer^;.  My  pleas- 
ure and  relief  were  inexpressible;  for,  as  an  officer  of 
the  "peace",  I  was  loth  to  be  arrested  and  fined,  for  break- 
ing the  peace,  long  live  W.  S.  Keriniish!  May  his  posteri- 
ty practice  his  \drtues  and  emulate  his  example. 

Judge  Stevenson  Burke,  was  another  of  the  fearless 
frank  practitioners  at  the  Cleveland  Bar.  The  judge  was 
well  along  in  years  and  his  professional  career,  when  he 
came  to  Cleveland.  In  the  Lorain  district,  he  had  been 
elected  Judge,  on  his  merits,  as  an  honorable  Tnan  and 
good  lawyer.  He  was  serving  on  the  Bench,  during  the 
exciting  times,  precipitated  by  the  Wellington  Resale, 
when  a  large  number  of  persons,  citizens  of  Oberlin,  in- 
cluding ministers  of  the  Gospel,  professors  in  the  col- 
lege, lawyers,  merchants,  mechanics,  and  ordinary  labor- 
ers, rushed  to  Wellington,  eight  miles  distant,  forcibly 
took  a  fugitive  slave  from  the  custody  of  a  United  States 
Marshal,  and  set  him  at  liberty. 

They  w^ere  arrested,  brought  to  Cleveland,  incarcer- 
ated, temporarily,  indicted,  and  ultimately,  brought  to 
trial  and  convicted;  several  of  them  being  ab'v  defended 
by  the  late  A.  G.  Riddle,  Esq.,  good  lawyer,  M.  C.  and 
author. 

Then  it  was  that,  the  Grand  Jury  of  Lorain  County, 
under  the  charge  of  Judge  Burke,  indicted  the  owner  of 
the  fugitive  for  kidnapping;  when,  becoming  aware  of 
the  fact,  the  owner  returned  to  his  Kentucky  home,  and 
the  prosecutions,  on  both  sides,  were  abandoned.  Such 
was  Judge  Burke,  and  much  more;  for,  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  long  life,  after  he  came  to  Geveland,  he 
proved  himself  to  be  a  gi*eat  lawyer,  in   the   important 

ie2 


affairs  of  "big-business;"  his  name  became  associated 
with  those  of  the  great  Captains  of  Industry  and  com- 
merce, of  his  day.  He  lived  in  princely  style,  on  our 
leading  avenue;  and,  dying,  left  a  generous  competancy 
to  his  sorrowing  family. 

The  late  Edwin  P.  SladlT,  Esquire,  one  time,  prosecu- 
tor of  Cuyahoga  County,  Ohio,  is  recalled  with  ''mingled 
feehng  of  joy  and  regret.  Mr.  Slade  (brother  of  the  late 
Albert  T.  Slade,  who  was  noted  for  his  legal  and  literary 
attainments),  was  naturally,  a  noteworthy  man;  but,  by 
reason  of  the  fascination  the  ''cup"  had  over  him,  he  was 
his  own  worst  enemy.  The  name  of  his  friends  was 
legion,  not  more  for  the  reason  that,  at  times  he  would 
make  a  valorous  fight  to  withstand  the  temptation,  than 
because  of  his  high  social  and  professional  standing. 

As  a  final  and  last  resort  to  help  him  to  overcome  his 
one  seductive  fault,  he  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney 
of  this  populous  and  wealthy  county.  And,  paradoxical  as 
it  may  seem,  he  prosecuted  its  criminal  cases  and  conduct- 
ed its  business  affairs  in  a  sober,  intelligent,  praiseworthy 
manner;  but,  once  again,  out  of  office,  he  rapidly  degen- 
erated to  his  fonner  condition. 

"Staggering  into  my  office,  occasionally,  he  would 
exclaim,  "0,  Brother  Green;  Brother  Green!"  Then, 
lapsing  into  silence  for  a  few  seconds,  he  would  mumble 
out,  those  well  known  words  of  Cassius;  "Drunk?  and 
speak  parrot?  and  squabble?  swagger?  swear?  and  dis- 
course fustian  with  one's  own  shadow?  O  thou  invisible 
spirit  of  wine,  if  thou  hast  no  name  to  be  known  by,  let 
us  call  thee — devil!"  Then,  as  if  to  add  emphasis  to  the 
last  four  words,  he  would  wag  his  head,  up  and  down, 
sorrowfully,  pitifully.  Ere  long  his  flickering  light  went 
outs  we  all  sighed  over  his  bier ;  but,  submissively,  bowed 
to  the  decree  of  Providence. 

Judge  W.  A.  Babcock  not  so  long  deceased,  was  a 
conspicuous  example  of  what  a  man,  naturally  endowed 

163 


.  with  an  active  capacious  brain,  and  educationally  trained 
for  activities  in  the  higher  walk  of  life  can  do  and  be,  if 
he  wills  to  conquer. 

I  met  the  judge  when  he  was  plain,  W.  A.  Babcock; 
an  alumnus,  "fresh"  from  Hiram  College,  the  very  name 
of  which  linked  with  that  of  the  lamented  J.  A.  Gai-field, 
should  be  an  inspiration  to  any  man.  The  "bright  lights" 
and  seductive  influences  of  the  big  city,  seemed,  at  first, 
to  seal  the  fate  of  the  young  man;  who,  really,  deserved 
a  warmer  reception  and  more  wholesome  environment 
than  fell  to  his  lot.  If  only  some  kindly,  hand  had  been 
stretched  out  for  "Will"  Babcock,  which  would  have  led 
him  up  on  to  the  mount  of  vision,  where  he  could  have 
beheld  the  honors  which  the  future  held  in  store  for  him, 
how  different  the  first  years  of  his  career,  on  this  stage 
of  action,  might  have  been! 

However,  some  of  the  greatest  names  that  grace  the 
pages  of  human  endeavor  have  been,  like  him,  "tried  as 
by  fire;"  and,  Hke  him,  have  come  through  victorious. 
Judge  Babcock,  upon  the  whole,  made  an  able  and  efficient 
judge.  He  was  a  voracious  reader  and  a  careful  student 
of  lav;  and  his  decisions  carried  weight  with  them, 
wherever  they  were  reviewed.  The  judge  was  also  in  al- 
most, constant  demand  for  speeches  and  addresses,  which 
were  not  only  instructive,  but  entertaining,  as  well. 

I  met  the  Judge  near  the  middle  of  the  Public  Square 
on  one  occasion.  He  halted  me,  and  said,  abruptly,  "Green 
what  is  that  quotation  which  you  used  in  an  argument, 
the  other  day.  I  want  to  use  it  in  an  address,  tonight; 
something  about  making  a  'scare-crow  of  the  Law'  ".  "O 
yes,  Judge,"  I  answered ;  "I  runs  like  this : 

"We  Txiust  not  make  a  scare -crow  of  the  Law, 
Setting  it  up  to  fear  the  birds  of  prey, 
And  let  it  keep  one  shape,  till  custom  make  it 
Their  perch,  and  not  their  terror." 

— Measure  for  Measure,  Act  II,  Scene  I. 

164 


"Ah  yes!"  he  exclaimed:  "W^ere  is  that  found?"  I  told 
him;  and  he  thanked  me.  Judge  Babcock  was  an  open 
minded,  "free  hearted"  man.  He  had  his  failings,  some 
of  them  quite  glaring,  but,  what  human  being  is  perfect? 
Once,  after  I  had  finished  defending  a  man,  indicted 
for  murder  in  the  first  degree,  as  soon  as  the  jury  retired, 
Judge  Babcock  leaned  forward  and  said  to  me,  in  open 
court  and  the  presence  of  many  persons:  "Green,  the  ar- 
gument you  made  in  this  case,  today,  is  the  ablest  I  have 
listened  to  during  the  eight  years  I  have  been  on  the 
Bench!"  Surely,  this  was  praise,  and  the  stimulous  it 
imparted  to  me,  still  impels  me  onward  and — upward, 
I  trust. 

In  the  foregoing,  special  mention  has  been  made  of 
the  constabulary  force,  connected  with  my  office,  but, 
this  sketch  would  be  noticibly  deficient  were  not  the 
clerical  force  gratefully  acknowledged. 

On  succeeding  and  taking  possession  of  the  office 
furniture,  dockets  and  notarial  seal  of  (General)  David 
L.  Wood,  I  found  in  possession,  awaiting  my  advent,  a 
very  efficient  clerk,  in  the  person  of  Mr.  George  Menger 
who,  for  years,  had  faithfully  served  my  predecessor,  in 
that  capacity.  I  was  pleased  to  learn,  from  him,  that 
he  was  ready  and  willing  to  retain  the  sam.e  position  and 
discharge  the  same  functions  as  under  D.  L.  Wood.  For 
it  must  not  be  forgotten  that,  when  elected,  in  1873, 
I  had  Httle  or  no  experience  in  practicing  civil  law, 
before  justices  of  the  peace  or  in  any  other  courts,  and, 
since  Mr.  Menger  was  expert  in  the  technicalities  of  the 
business,  it  was  in  the  nature  of  a  God-send  that  he  came 
to  me. 

Mr.  Menger  was  a  GeiTiian  by  birth,  about  twenty- 
five  years  of  age,  and  quite  "festive"  in  his  proclivities, 
by  which  term,  I  suppose,  I  am  fairly  well  understood.  In 
the  office  of  Esquire  George  A.  Kolbe,  there  were  two 
young  men,  of  German  birth,  also,  August  Kiel  and  Ed- 

165 


ward  Beltz,  by  name,  respectively;  and  they,  with  Mr. 
Menger,  formed  a  tno,  which  in  social  festivities,  was 
hard  to  beat. 

Mr.  Kiel  was  rather  proud  of  his  record  of  having: 
drunk,  in  one  day,  thirty-five  glasses  of  beer;  while  the 
two  others  were  endeavoring  to  emulate  his  example. 
Tho,  I  must  state,  that,  of  ihe  three,  Mr.  Beltz  was,  at 
all  times,  comparatively,  conservative. 

One  fine  evening,  this  writer  joined  them  in  a  jolly 
meeting,  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Menger's  uncle,  in  Marion 
Street;  and,  after  the  feast  and  fiow,  we  repaired  to  the 
street;  and,  in  our  meanderings,  ultimately  found  our- 
selves at  the  intersection  of  Erie  (nov>'  East  9th)  and 
Ohio  (now  Central  Ave)  streets.  It  was  past  midnight 
and  we  were  quite  hilarious,  tho  not  intoxicated,  and  we 
were  at  a  loss  as  to  how  we  could  pass  the  remainder  of 
the  time  agreeably ;  as  there  was  an  old  horse  strayed  in 
the  street,  we  took  turns  in  mounting  and  riding  him, 
"bare  back",  for  a  block  or  two  and  back  again. 

At  length,  in  the  *'wee  sma"  hours,  we  repaired  to 
our  several  homes;  where  we,  for  a  few  short  hours, 
became  oblivious  of  the  past  and  careless  as  to  the  future. 
Mr.  Edward  Beltz  was  a  gentleman  of  culture  and  indus- 
try. Under  the  instruction  of  Esquire  Koibe,  he  entered 
upon  the  copying  of  records,  in  the  County-Recorders 
office,  pertaining  to  real-estate,  and  continued  in  one 
phase  and  another  of  that  business  until  he  had  laid  the 
foundation  of  a  great  abstract  company,  which  I  con- 
sider the  most  fitting  monument  to  his  industry  and  skill, 
during  his  long  life. 

The  other  men  died  in  comparative  youth,  and,  today, 
I  am  the  only  one  of  that  nocturnal  quartet  left  to  tell 
the  tale. 

Mr.  Linden  C.  White,  a  genial,  efficient  young  man, 
succeeded  to  the  duties  of  Mr.  Menger.  Mr.  White's 
health  was  poor,  which  necessitated  frequent  absences 

166 


from  his  desk.  On  such  occasions  Mr.  Louis  W.  Turner 
a  gentleman  of  color,  very  ably  filled  the  interim.  Mr. 
Turner  was  subsequently  elected  one  of  the  constables 
of  Cleveland  Township,  which  position  he  ably  filled,  in 
my  office  and  that  of  others.  Mr.  White  died  in  his  youth 
sincerely  mourned  by  many  fi-iends.  j 

The  last  clerk  whom  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  em- 
ploy was  Mr.  George  P.  Phibbs,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who 
had  been  ''discovered"  by  my  colored  constable,  Mr. 
Parker  Hare.  Mr.  Phibbs  gave  up  the  business  of  bar- 
keeper, for  a  man  by  the  name  of  Connor  or  Connors, 
whose  establishment  was  located  on  the  northeast  comer 
of  Michigan  avenue  and  West  Third  street.  His  writing 
was  like  ''copper  plate",  and  his  spelling  and  diction  gave 
evidence  of  the  fact  that,  he  had  enjoyed  reasonable 
education  facilities. 

After  acting  as  an  assistant  to  Mr.  Hare,  for  some 
few  months,  he  consented  to  ent^r  my  employ,  as  clerk, 
and  from  that  time  on  for  about  ten  years,  we  were 
almost  inseperable.  He  was,  truly  my  Fidus  Achates ;  and 
by  his  industry,  and  influence  amongst  the  Iiish  people, 
especially,  along  business  and  political  lines,  he  added 
very  mateiially  to  my  official  and  political  successes.  On 
one  occasion  (when  I  apprehended  defeat  at  the  polls), 
by  his  untiring  energy  and  influence,  he  caused  me  to 
run  ahead  of  the  ticket,  in  two  democratic  wards,  the 
"bloody  Fifth,"  and  the  "Rock  bound"  Eighth;  although, 
I  was  denominated  a  "Black  Eepublican." 

After  I  ceased  to  perform  the  functions  of  Justice 
of  the  Peace,  Mr.  Phibbs  and  I  became  partners  in  the 
practising  of  law.  He  having  (on  my  certificate)  been 
admitted  to  the  Bar. 

Mr.  Phibbs  and  I  inducted  "Squire"  Wm.  R.  Ryan 
(subsequently  sheriff  of  Cuyahoga  County,  Ohio)  into  the 
mysteries  of  his  office  when  he  was  elected  justice  of  the 
peace  of  Cleveland  Township,  and  a  little  later  on  in  life, 

167 


he  stood  as  God-father  to  ex-sheriff  W.  G.  Smith  of  the 
same  county,  when  an  infant,  he  was  christened. 

On  one  occasion,  while  still  in  the  employ  of  my  office 
he  visited  his  old  home,  Ireland ;  on  returning,  he  brought 
and  presented  to  me  a  beautiful  black-thom  cane,  and, 
in  return  for  the  favor,  later  on,  in  one  of  my  European 
trips,  I  made  a  detour,  and  visited  the  "ould  sod",  and 
ev^Q  kissed  the  Blarney  stone,  through  the  courtesy  of 
some  tourists,  who  held  me  head  downwards,  from  the 
parget,  until  I  performed  the  osculatory  feat. 

From  Cleveland,  Mr.  Phibbs  went  to  Pomona,  Califor- 
nia; removing  from  there  to  Los  Angeles,  where  for  a 
time,  he  was  assistant  county  or  city  prosecutor.  Later 
on,  he  became  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  a  cereal 
breakfast  food,  and  })ecame  wealthy.  He  died  a  decade 
ago;  and,  I  have  left  only  the  delightful  memory  of  a 
man  v/honi  I  considered  my  best  friend,  next  to  my  dear 
mother,  sisters  and  my  family. 

Speaking  of  my  Irish  friend,  brings  to  my  mind  the 
fact  that  Mr.  Michael  Gallagher, -a  giant  in  stature,  and 
one  time  marshall  of  the  city  or  tow^n  of  Cleve-and,  used 
often  to  honor  us  with  presence ;  and,  occasionally,  served 
writs  for  us.  "Mike"  Gallagher  was  a  genial  whole-souled 
fdlow  full  of  reminiscences  of  the  early  days  of  the  city, 
and  withal,  companionable  and  helpful.  He  too,  has 
crossed  the  "great  divide." 

Looking  backwards  over  my  career  as  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  I  think  the  most  humorous  episode  that  occurred 
m  my  office  was  the  following: 

Mr,  DoiScott  Evans,  who  for  many  years,  was  noted 
i^  being  perhaps,  the  most  skillful  portrait  painter  in  this 
Ni^ction  of  the  United  States,  and  w^ho,  with  his  beautiful 
md  talented  daughter,  were  lost  in  mid  ocean,  when  a 
^reat  French  hner  foundered,  on  their  return  trip  from 
Paris,  where  he  had  spent  some  time  in  perfecting  him- 

188 


self  in  the  art  of  delineating  laces  and  draperies.  He  was 
also  something  of  a  wag,  as  well. 

On  one  occasion,  seeing  a  picturesque  little  colored 
"newsie",  on  the  avenue,  whose  appearance  attracted  his 
notice,  he  offered  to  compensate  him,  if  he  would  come 
into  his  studio  and,  not  "pose,"  but,  submit  to  some  dec- 
oration. The  boy  consented,  and  once  in  the  studio,  Mr, 
Evans  painted  his  nose  a  bright  vermilion  hue,  streaked 
his  forehead  and  cheeks  more  or  less,  with  the  same,  and 
sent  him  into  an  adjoining  room,  tenanted  by  a  lady, 
lover  of  art,  to  deliver  to  her  a  note  w^hich,  appropos,  the 
artist  had  written  and  given  to  him. 

The  note  ran,  somewhat,  as  follows:  **Dear  Miss: — 
knowing  you  to  be  fond  of  natural  subjects,  I  send  you, 
herewith,  one  on  foot.  He  has  a  pedigree",  etc,  etc,  etc. 
The  boy,  instead  of  delivering  the  note,  as  he  was  paid 
to  do,  carried  it  home,  to  his  mother,  who,  being  strongly 
saturated  with  Indian  blood,  ^yent  '*on  the  war-path,"  so 
to  speak,  which  led  to  the  office  of  the  late  J.  B.  Mc- 
Laughlin, Esq.,  an  attorney  at  law,  who,  immediately 
came  to  my  office  and  Sued  the  artist  for  three  hundred 
dollars  damages,  sustained  by  the  boy,  by  reason  of  the 
"malicious"  decorations  which  he  had  inflicted  on  him. 

Mr.  Evans,  being  duly  summoned,  appeared  in  court 
with  his  lawyer,  John  J.  Carran,  Esq.,  and  demanded  a 
trial  by  jury;  which  being  granted,  the  case  was,  in  due 
course,  formally  tried. 

Strange  to  relate,  the  jury  returned  a  verdict  for  the 
plaintiff,  in  the  sum  of  one  hundred  dollars.  The  defen- 
dant, of  course,  was  both  suiT)rised  and  shocked  at  the 
result;  and  gave  notice  of  appeal;  but,  before  the  lapse 
of  the  ten  days'  limit,  for  appeal,  the  parties  settled  the 
case,  by  defendant  paying  to  plaintiff  the  sum  of  twenty- 
five  dollars  and  the  costs  of  suit;  all  amounting  to  about 
forty  dollars.  In  the  absence  of  more  important  news  to 
print,  many  papers,  in  the  United  States  carried  a  story 

169 


of  this  case — even  bej^ond  the  Mississippi  river;  one  of 
them  finishing  its  account  as  follows:  ''Lav/j^er  McLaug'h- 
lin,  in  arguing  the  case,  created  a  profound  sensation  in 
couii;,  by  the  startling  definition  he  gave  to  the  term 
''pedigree!"      ' 

Another  case,  which  I  have  never  forgotten,  was  one 
of  embezzlement,  brought  bj^  the  Wilson  Sewing  Machine 
Company,  in  which,  the  complainant,  "Muck  Bunnell," 
by  name,  was  declared  to  have  appropriated  to  his  own 
use  the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars,  belonging  to  his  em- 
ployer. 

This  case  lasted  two  days.  Henry  C.  White,  Esq.,. 
subsequently  probate  judge  of  the  county,  represented 
the  defendant.  Fouiteen  witnesses,  for  the  state,  testi- 
fied to  the  identity  of  the  defendant;  and  he  was  bound 
over,  to  await  the  action  of  the  grand  jury;  but,  it  was 
subsequently  ascertained,  that,  the  defendant  was  not 
"Muck  Bunnell!"  and  the  company  settled  with  him,  for 
his  wrong-ful  aiTest,  imprisonment  and  prosecution,  by 
paying  him  five  hundred  dollars  in  cash. 


170 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
MAKING  LAW  AND   PRACTICING  LAW. 

In  the  fall  of  1881,  I  was  again  nominated  for  the 
lower  branch  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Ohio.  This 
time  my  majority  was  so  large  that,  I  succeeded  in  get- 
ting my  certificate;  and  in  the  early  part  of  the  month 
of  January,  following,  I  was  sworn  in  and  took  my  seat. 
My  desk  was  immediately  in  the  rear  of  a  group  com- 
posed of  some  very  conspicuous  and  able  members; 
amongst  who  were,  Dr.  Scott,  ex-consul  to  Honolulu,  from 
Wai-ren  county;  Mr.  Hathaway,  learned  lawyer  and  very 
high  "Masonic,"  from  Chardon,  Geauga  county;  Mr. 
Jones,  able  attorney  and  ex-member  of  Congress,  from 
Delaware  county,  and  Mr.  Freeman  Thorpe,  a  courteous 
and  dignified  gentleman,  a  portrait  painter,  from  Ashta- 
bula county;  all  of  whom  treated  me  without  discrimina- 
tion, and  with  marked  consideration.  I  may  say,  here, 
that,  without  exception,  during  the  entire  sessions  of  the 
General  Assembly,  I  had  nothing  to  complain  of,  in  this 
dii*ection. 

This  fact  would  seem  somewhat  remarkable,  from 
the  fact  that,  some  years  theretofore,  when  a  member  of 
the  *'House"  invited  the  late  John  Mercer  Langston,  fa- 
mous for  his  learning,  eloquence  and  general  utility,  ta 
sit  by  his  side,  on  the  floor  of  that  body,  serious  objection 
was  raised,  on  the  ground  that  Mr.  Langston  was  a  col- 
ored man;  although  his  father  was  a  wealthy  white  Vir-^ 

171 


ginian,  who  had  given  him  a  college  education,  and  a  fi- 
nancial competency,  in  addition  thereto;  and  I  may  add, 
Mr.  Langston,  a  few  years  later  could  add,  after  his 
name,  the  significant  letters,  M.  C. 

The  Speaker  of  the  House  was  the  Hon.  Orlando  J. 
Hodge,  a  noted  parUamentarian,  who  had  seen  much  ser- 
vice in  legislative  bodies,  municipal  and  state,  and  had 
been  a  member  of  the  Senate  of  Connecticut,  his  native 
state.  In  making  his  assignments  for  committees,  he 
put  me  on  coii)orations  other  than  municipal,  library  and 
insane  asylums ;  of  the  latter,  he  made  me  chairman ;  and 
on  various  occasions  he  honored  me  by  calling  me  to  the 
chair,  and  allowing  me  to  preside  over  that  august  body. 

I  was  now  acting  in  a  dual  capacity,  being  justice 
of  the  peace  of  the  township  of  Cleveland,  and  a  member 
of  the  General  Assembly,  from  Cuyahoga  county,  which 
included  the  city  of  Cleveland  and  also  a  number  of  towns 
and  villages  in  the  suburbs  of  Cleveland.  Of  course,  I 
could  attend  to  my  magisterial  duties  only  when  at  home ; 
and  since  I  received  no  salary  in  that  office,  no  valid  com- 
plaint could  be  made — by  reason  of  my  frequent  absence 
from  my  office.  This  dual  condition  ceased  to  exist,  how- 
ever, after  the  lapse  of  one  year,  when  my  term  as  jus- 
tice expired,  after  a  tenure  of  nine  consecutive  years. 

During  the  existence  of  this  assembly,  I  performed 
a  mass  of  work,  in  committee  and  on  the  floor  of  the 
house;  but  I  shall  notice  here  only  two  matters,  which 
the  press  took  notice  of,  as  being  of  special  interest. 

The  first,  was  my  strenuous  opposition  to  the  enact- 
ment  of  the  so-called,  "Scott  Liquor  Taxation  Law,"  fath- 
ered by  Dr.  Scott,  of  whom  I  have  spoken,  and  opposed 
by  many  people  throughout  the  state,  on  the  ground  that 
it  was,  essentially,  a  license  law;  while  the  constitution 
of  the  state  provided  substantially,  that  no  law  to  license 
the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors  should  ever  be  enacted. 


I,  with  many  others,  contended  that,  permitting  the 
sale  of  such  Hquors,  on  the  payment  of  a  "tax,"  was,  sub- 
stantially, a  license ;  and,  therefore,  such  a  law  would  be 
unconstitutional  and  void.  The  contentions  pro  and  con 
were  strenuous  and,  at  times  bitter;  but,  the  "pros"  were 
in  the  majority,  and  ultimately,  won— the  bill  becoming  a 
law. 

The  validity  of  the  "law"  was  speedily  tested;  and 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  state  declared  it  unconstitution- 
al and  void.  Thereupon,  commenced  some  strategic  po- 
litical work — "log-rolling,"  during  the  interim,  between 
that  sixty-fifth  and  the  following  sixty-sixth  General  As- 
sembly, the  like  of  which  I  did  not  suspect  could  be  con- 
summated— for,  I  was  young  and  inexperienced  in  legis- 
lative procedure ;  and,  was  quite  surprised. 

By  the  time  that  the  constitutionality  of  the  next 
liquor-taxation-law  came  before  our  Supreme  Court  to  be 
tested,  the  personnel  of  that  august  tribunal  had  under- 
gone a  radical  change;  and  a  new  governor  was  in  the 
chair.  As  a  matter  of  course,  the  law  was  upheld;  and 
from  that  time  down  to  the  beginning  of  our  present  era 
of  prohibition,  saloons  were  maintained  and  liquor  was 
sold,  without  any  hindrance,  upon  the  payment  of  the 
"tax"  license. 

During  the  first  session  of  that  General  Assembly 
(the  65th),  Speaker  Hodge  received  a  letter  from  Hon. 
Oliver  G.  Cope,  of  Cadiz,  Ohio,  who  was  collecting  data  as 
to  the  Commercial  status  of  the  city  of  Cleveland,  and  the 
reasons  underlying  its  rapid  growth.  I  was  both  sur- 
prised and  pleased,  when  he  handed  the  letter  to  me,  and 
requested  me  to  answer  it.  In  a  humble  way,  I  attempted 
to  comply  with  his  request;  but,  since  I  was  limited  in 
the  number  of  words  my  answer  was  to  contain,  I  will 
here  present  a  copy  of  my  answer  for  the  inspection  and 
criticism  of  such  as  may  care  to  read  it. 

173 


Columbus,  Ohio,  Febi-uaiy  21,  1882. 
Honoi-able  Oliver  G.  Cope, 

Cadiz,  Ohio.  „ 

>Iy  dear  sir: —  > 

Through  the  couitesy  of  Hon.  Orlando  J.  Hodge,  speaker  of 
the  House  of  Representatives,  the  pleasing  task  of  submitting  to 
you  my  "opinion"  as  to  the  leading  interests  or  occupations 
"which  have  caused  the  great  influx  of  population  into  the  City  of 
Cleveland,*'  is  delegated  to  me.  Permit  me,  then,  to  state,  in  brief, 
the  following: 

First — As  to  our  iron  industries,  including  smelting  and  the 
manufacture  of  bar,  rail  and  other  irons,  as  well  as  steel. 

The  superior  qualities  pertaining  to  Lake  Superior  Iron  Ore, 
have  long  been  known;  and,  during  the  last  decade  and  a  half,  the 
iron  masters  of  the  country,  acting  upon  that  knowledge,  have  lo- 
cated extensive  works  in  Cleveland,  for  the  manufactui-e  of  th« 
same;  and,  obeying  a  well-known  law  of  political  economy,  the 
workers  in  furnaces  and  rolling  mills,  have  flocked  here,  followed 
by  their  army  of  dependents.  , 

The  close  proximity  of  Cleveland  to  the  Massillon-Brier  Hill 
and  other  coal  and  coke  districts  and  vast  limestone  deposits,  has 
added  materially,  to  the  desirableness  of  Cleveland  as  a  suitable 
place  for  the  manufacture  of  iron  and  steel  on  an  extended  scale. 

Second — Closely  allied  to  our  iron  and  steel  industries,  and 
largely  dependent  upon  them,  are  the  manufactories  of  stoves,  hol- 
low-ware and  machinery,  of  various  kinds;  to  mention  one  or  more 
of  them,  w^here  there  are  so  many,  would  be  invidious.  Suffice  it 
to  say,  their  name  is  legion,  and  they  are  rapidly  increasing  in 
number. 

Third — May  be  mentioned  the  oil-refining  industries  and  those 
collateral  industries  dependent  on  them,  such  as  the  manufaccture 
of  acids  and  other  chemicals,  parafine,  etc.;  all  of  which  are  handled 
on  an  immense  and  increasing  scale,  as  the  mere  statement  of  the 
fact,  that,  the  Standard  Oil  Company  alone  possesses  facilities  for 
turning  out  10,000  barrels  of  refined  oil,  daily,  will  prove. 

Fourth — Cleveland  is  the  grand  distributing  port  of  the  north- 
western lumber  trade,  for  this  section  of  the  United  States;  our 
marine  and  railroad  facilities  being  such  as  to  make  the  trans- 
portation of  lumber  and  its  products,  not  only  practical,  but,  phe- 
nominally,  cheap. 

Collateraiiy,  witli  this  industry,  have  .sprung  into  existence 
all  those  industries  which  depend  upon  the  lumber  trade,  such  as 

174 


the  manufacture  of  barrels  and  kegs,  on  a  gigantic  scale;  and 
also,  woodenware  manufacturing,  on  a  large  scale. 

Fifth — Pork-packing  should  not  escape  our  notice.  Yeara  ago, 
Cincinnati  claimed,  and  justly  was  acknowledged,  to  be  the  "Porko- 
polis"  of  America;  but,  it  is  the  proud  boast  of  Cleveland,  today, 
that  she  is  not  only  in  the  line  of  competition,  but,  at  our  present 
i-at€  of  progress,  is  destined  in  the  near  future,  to  outstrip  her 
fair  sister  in  the  race.    See,  Statistics,   for  1881. 

Sixth — Ship-building  must  not  be  ig-nored,  in  taking  a  cursory 
glance  at  our  leading  industrial  enterprises.  This  interest,  as 
managed  in  Cleveland,  has  acquired  deserved  fame  throughout  the 
lake  regions;  and  the  skill  of  our  shipbuilders  is  proverbial.  We 
have  recently  launched  an  elegant  and  commodious  steel  ship,  the 
pi-oduct  of  one  of  our  great  ship-building  companies,  which  is  at- 
tracting the  attention  of  our  nautical  men,  everj^where;  and  is 
pi'ophetic  of  increased  activity  in  this  line,  in  the  near  future. 
This  ship  is  of  3^000  tons  bui-then,  and  floats  like  a  swan,  upon 
the  waters. 

To  attempt  a  statement  of  all  our  principal  industries  would 
be  useless,  as  they  are  numerous  r.nd  complicated.  I  may  state, 
in  addition,  however,  that,  thousands  are  also  engaged  in  the  man- 
ufacturing- of  b^er,  cigars,  tobacco  and  clothing;  to  say  nothing  of 
the  myriads  of  mechanics  and  artisans  who  are  engaged  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  commodious  and  elegant  blocks  and  private  resi- 
dences in  this  city.  Nor  can  we  deny  that  the  location  of  our 
beautiful  city  with  her  miles  of  shaded  streets  and  avenues;  her 
abundance  of  pure  water;  and  her  unexcelled  church  and  school 
facilities,  have  contributed  largely  towards  "this  great  influx  of 
population."  And,  last,  but  not  leasr,  an  able  and  intelligent  press 
has  exerted  a  wonderful  influence,  in  this  direction,  by  acquainting 
the  people  with  our  peculiar  adaptation  for  commercial  and  manu- 
facturing enterprises." 

During  the  session,  there  was  a  junket  to  Washing- 
ton, by  the  members  of  the  house.  I  do  not  know  who 
managed  it;  but,  of  one  fact,  I  am  certain;  I  received  no 
invitation  to  join  the  company.  So,  I  did  not  have  the 
opportunity  of  seeing  or  interviewing  Giteau,  the  assassin 
of  the  great  James  A.  Garfield,  before  he  was  executed. 

Perhaps,  it  was  just  as  well.  For,  had  I  accompanied 
them,  we  would  have  been  compelled  to  part  company,  in 

175 


Washington,  by  reason  of  the  caste,  which,  then  and  now. 
excludes  persons  of  color  from  hotels  and  dining  rooms 
— except  as  menials. 

An  incident  occurred,  in  the  House,  during  that  ses- 
sion, which  enabled  me  to  aid  the  late  Tom  L.  Johnson  in 
obtaining  a  sure  and  finn  foothold,  as  a  resident  and  citi- 
zen of  Cleveland;  and  since  this  fact  has  played  so  impor- 
tant a  pai-t  in  the  recent  history  of  Cleveland,  and,  indi- 
rectly, given  to  the  nation  our  great  and  efficient  secre- 
tary of  war,  the  Hon.  Newton  D.  Baker.  I  shall  record 
it  in  this  place. 

When  Mr.  Johnson  first  came  to  Cleveland,  directly 
from  Indianapolis,  where  he  had  some  experiences  in  the 
line  of  street  railway  affairs,  he  found  all  the  main  ave- 
nues, extending  from  the  public  square  to  the  eastern 
suburbs  of  the  city,  "preempted,"  occupied  by  "existing 
companies" — Broadway,  Woodland  avenue,  Central  ave- 
nue. Cedar  avenue.  Prospect  street,  Euclid  avenue,  Su- 
perior street  and  St.  Clair  avenue,  were  established  and, 
beyond  his  reach. 

He  offered  to  pave  Scovill  Avenue,  which  was,  at 
times  little  more  than  a  quagmire,  if  the  denizens  of  that 
thoroughfare  would  concede  to  him  a  franchise  to  build 
and  operate  a  street  railroad  through  it.  The  offer  was 
quickly  accepted ;  but  shortly,  Mr.  Johnson  became  aware 
of  the  fact  that,  as  conditions  then  existed,  he  would  be 
unable  to  run  his  cars  beyond  Scovill  avenue  to  the 
"square,"  unless  he  could,  in  some  way,  secure  an  ease- 
ment over  at  least,  one  of  the  old  lines,  which  permission 
was  refused  him,  by  the  offcials  of  each  line.  At  that 
time,  each  car  line  had  a  separate  president  and  board 
of  trustees. 

Then,  there  was  introduced  in  the  General  Assembly, 
a  bill  known  as  the  Weitzel  Bill ;  by  Mr.  Weitzel  of  Cin- 
cinnati, which  provided,  amongst  other  things,  that,  no 
new  company  should  operate  its  cars  over  the  tracks  of 

176 


an  existing  company  a  greater  distance  than  one-eighth 
of  a  mile. 

Immediately,  the  City  Council  of  Cleveland,  unani- 
mously adopted  a  resolution,  requesting  the  senators  and 
representatives  from  this  county  to  oppose  that  bill;  for 
the  reason  that,  if  enacted,  it  would  prevent  any  compe- 
tition in  the  street-railway  business,  and  create  a  mono- 
poly in  Cleveland,  in  favor  of  the  old  companies. 

When  this  bill  was  put  on  its  passage,  in  the  House, 
I  alone,  of  the  whole  delegation,  opposed  it.  I  read  the 
resolution  of  our  City  Council,  and  made  the  fact  as  clear 
as  possible  that,  the  bill  was  inimical  to  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  car-riders  of  Cleveland ;  that,  the  present  man- 
agement of  the  street-railroads  was  not  for  the  conven- 
ience of  their  patrons,  but,  for  the  profit  of  stockholders, 
of  the  same. 

The  result,  to  the  surprise  of  the  friends  of  the  bill, 
was,  that,  it  failed  of  passage !  Mr.  Bruner  of  Wyandotte 
county,  who  had  some  interest  conserved  by  other  provis- 
ions of  the  bill,  moved  that,  it  be  referred  to  a  ''select 
committee"  of  one,  which  was  himself — this  course  was 
adopted;  and,  in  the  course  of  the  session,  he  reported 
it  back  to  the  House;  v>'hen  it  was  passed,  with  the  ob- 
jectionable clause  eliminated. 

Thereupon,  Mr.  Tom  L.  Johnson,  through  the  Coun- 
cil, or  by  agreement  with  one  of  the  old  companies,  ob- 
tained permission  to  run  his  cars  over  other  lines,  down 
to  the  square;  and  also,  to  and  over  the  viaduct,  to  the 
West  Side;  and  from  that  time  forward,  he  became  an 
honored  and  useful  citizen  of  Cleveland;  serving  her  in 
Congress  snd  as  Mayor.  Likewise,  he  was  here  to  wel- 
come Mr.  Newton  D.  Baker,  who,  for  years,  collaborated 
with  him  and  others,  and  succeeded  him  as  Mayor  of 
Cleveland;  also,  Mr.  Baker,  by  virtue  of  his  connection 
with-  Mr.  Johnson,  as  well  as  by  his  extraordinary  ability, 
displayed  in  every  position  to  which  he  was  called,  ulti- 

177 


niately,  headed  the  delegation  to  the  Baltimore  National 
Democratic  convention,  whicn  nominated  Woodrow  Wil- 
son, in  the  first  instance,  for  President ;  Vv-here,  he  sho\Yed 
great  ability  and  "masterly  activity,"  in  contributing 
towards  Wilson's  nomination,  which  fact  paved  the  way 
for  his  appointment  to  his  present  august  position.  To 
what  extent  was  this  writer  contributory  thereto?  After 
the  defeat  of  the  bill,  L.  A.  Russell,  Esq.,  who  w^as  the 
able  and  efficient  attorney  of  Mr.  Tom  L.  Johnson,  came 
to  me  and  thanked  me,  for  the  successful  fight  I  had 
made,  for  the  people  of  Cleveland,  as  well  as  Mr.  Johnson." 

Some  criticism  of  my  failure  to  introduce  and  secure 
the  passage  of  a  bill  to  repeal  the  so-called  ''black  laws," 
which  were  still  standing  on  the  statute  books  of  Ohio, 
has  been  made.  They  were,  like  the  clause  of  our  State 
Constitution,  which  restricts  the  electoral  to  "white  male 
citizens,"  relicts  of  the  old  slave  regime,  a  menace  to  and 
abridgement  of  our  rights  as  citizens  of  the  state  of  Ohio, 
and  diametrically  opposed  to  the  Fourteenth  and  Fif- 
teenth amendm.ents  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States. 

There  were  several  reasons  why  I  did  not  prepare 
and  introduce  such  a  bill  during  that  term  of  the  assem- 
bly, which  I  shall  now  explain. 

In  the  first  place,  there  was  considerable  opposition  to 
the  passage  of  such  a  law,  which  was  manifested,  when  I 
mentioned  the  subject,  in  a  general  way  to  some  of  the 
members,  who  were  quite  influential,  and  were  of  that 
''lily  white"  faction  of  the  Republican  party,  who  were 
led  by  the  late  Congressman  C.  H.  Grosvenor,  of  the  Ath- 
ens district,  whose  influence  was  still  felt  in  the  counsels 
of  the  state.  During  the  Sixty-fourth  General  Assembly 
when  the  general  statutes  of  the  state  were  revised,  and 
an  effort  w^as  made  to  eliminate  the  "Black  Laws,"  from 
the  code,  General  Grosvenor,  personally  objected;  say- 
ing, that  the  colored  people  of  Ohio  had  not  petitioned  for 
their  repeal ;  and  that,  they  did  not  desire  it.    This  argu- 

178 


ment  was,  of  course,  specious;  but,  it  answered  the  pur- 
pose of  defeating  action,  and  they  were  included  in  the 
revised  edition. 

Now,  this  condition  of  affairs  prevailed,  when  I  was  in 
the  assembly;  and  to  prevent  the  same  objection  being 
raised  again,  I  endeavored  to  secure  the  assistance  of  my 
colored  constituents,  at  home,  in  having  petitions  signed" 
by  colored  voters,  asking  for  the  repeal  of  those  un- 
just-prejudicial law^s;  but,  without  success. 

Time  and  again,  I  called  attention  to  this  necessary 
action;  but,  without  avail;  and  when  the  Assembly  ad- 
journed, not  one  petition  had  been  formulated  and  signed ; 
and  the  matter  was  postponed,  until  a  later  day. 

Another  reason,  why  I  did  not  then  act,  was,  that 
the  late  Senator  George  S.  Ely,  who  was  elected  from  the 
Cleveland  district,  notified  me  that,  he  had  a  bill,  in  his 
pocket,  for  the  repeal  of  those  laws,  which  had  been  given 
to  him  by  some  of  the  voters  of  Cleveland;  and  that,  he 
too,  as  myself,  was  waiting  for  a  petition,  numerously 
signed  by  colored  people,  to  file,  before  introducing  the 
bill.  The  petition  never  was  delivered  to  him;  and  the 
Assembly  adjourning  he  postponed  action  to  its  next 
meeting,  which  I  am  sorry  to  say,  never  came;  for,  the 
next  Assembly  was  Democratic,  on  account  of  the  anti- 
saloon  legislation  of  the  Sixty-fifth  Assembly,  and  George 
Hoadly,  a  "Greely  Democrat,''  was  elected  Governor.  I 
was  inclined  to  defer  to  the  wishes  of  Senator  Ely,  be- 
cause he  was  a  grand  good  man,  high  in  financial  and 
political  circles,  and  I,  quite  naturally,  believed  that  the 
bill  would  be  more  liberally  and  successfully  supported 
under  his  leadership,  than  under  mine,  without  any  home 
support. 

The  late  Bishop  B.  W.  Amett  (colored),  a  member  from 
Greene  County,  fell  heir  to  the  Ely  bill,  and  carried  it  in 
his  pocket  until  a  clamor  for  its  introduction  was  heard 
all  over  the  State,  amongst  the  colored  voters  and  others. 

179 


It  was  said  by  some,  that,  as  a  condition  to  his  election, 
he  had  pledged  himself  to  the  voters  of  Greene  county, 
not  to  introduce  a  bill  of  that  purport ;  and  that,  he  could 
not  break  his  word.  Whether  that  was  true  or  not,  I  have 
never  ascertained;  but,  it  is  a  matter  of  history,  that, 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  session  the  bill  was  intro- 
duced, and  the  repeal  effected,  by  a  Democratic  Assembly 
aided  and  abetted  by  George  Hoadly,  an  old  free  soil  aboli- 
tionist, who  went  wrong  under  the  leadership  of  Horace 
Greeley. 

Subsequent  to  the  defeat  of  the  "Weitzel"  bill,  and 
before  the  adjournment  of  the  General  Assembly,  a^'roup 
of  four  gentlemen,  each  of  whom  was  the  president  of 
one  of  the  street  railroad  systems  of  Cleveland,  came  into 
my  office,  in  Superior  Street,  and  tried  to  persuade  me 
to  agree  to  support  that  bill,  when  reported  back  to  the 
House,  by  the  ''select  committee"  of  one,  in  whose  hands 
it  still  rested.  After  much  talk  (arguments)  and  mutual 
explanations,  I  wearied  of  it;  and,  to  cut  oif  further  dis- 
cussion, I  exclaimed:  "Gentlemen,  I  would  not  vote  for 
that  bill  if  you  w^ould  give  me  ten  thousand  dollars!"  One 
of  them  answered:  "Well,  you  are  very  positive,  to  say 
the  least!"  Another  remarked:  "Well,  there  is  one  paper 
in  Cleveland,  that  will  support  you,  if  you  will  support 
that  bill!!" 

Failing  to  swerve  me  from  my  determination  to  stand 
by  the  car-riders  of  Cleveland,  they  finally  left,  in  a  dis- 
appointed mood.  In  justice  to  those  gentlemen,  all  of 
whom  it  is  necessary  to  say,  were  the  soul  of  honesty,  I 
will  here  state,  that,  during  the  whole  controversy,  from 
beginning  to  the  end,  no  one  of  them,  nor  all  combined, 
offered  me  any  money  or  anything  of  value,  to  secure  my 
support  of  that  or  any  other  measure. 

That  my  entire  course,  in  the  Sixty-fifth  General  As- 
sembly was  endorsed  by  the  Republican  party,  goes  Avith- 
cut  saying;  and  if  any  proof  of  this  statement  be  lack- 

180 


ing,  I  will  here  state,  that,  I  was  renominated  for  a  sec- 
ond term,  by  acclamation,  no  one  dissenting;  but,  in  the 
next  general  election,  we  not  only  lost  the  Governor  and 
Assembly,  to  the  Democratic  party,  but,  we  also  failed 
to  elect  a  United  States  senator — the  Honorable  Henry 
B.  Payne,  of  Cleveland — an  **old  line"  Democrat,  being 
elected  to  that  high  office. 

In  those  days,  the  liquor  interests  were  tried  and 
faithful  allies  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  to  suggest  or 
support  any  legislation  which  could  be  construed  as 
hostile  to  their  interests,  brought  down,  speedily,  con- 
dign punishment ;  Query.  In  the  light  of  the  Nation-wide 
abolition  of  the  liquor  manufacture  and  traffic,  by  Mr. 
Wilson's  Democratic  administration,  w^hat  do  they  think 
now  ?  And  w^hat  course  will  they  pursue  to  enforce  their 
maledictions  against  those  who  have  destroyed  their 
business  and  in  some  instances,  confiscated  their  property 
and  imprisoned  them? 

Being  a  candidate,  again,  for  the  same  position,  I 
was  met,  in  the  Republican  convention,  by  those  four, 
street-railroad  presidents;  and,  to  my  great  surprise  and 
dismay,  they  worked  intelligently,  persistently  and  ably, 
to  compass  my  defeat.  Success  crow^ned  their  efforts. 
They  defeated  me,  by  securing  the  nomination  of  another 
colored  man,  a  carpenter  and  joiner  and  mail  carrier,  the 
late  Mr.  Jere  A.  Brown.  He  served  through  the  67tli  and 
68th  Assemblies.  After  that,  he  filled  several  clerical  po- 
sitions, in  Columbus,  Washington  and  Cleveland,  during 
the  remainder  of  his  life. 

During  the  six  years  which  elapsed  between  the  65th 
and  the  69th  Assemblies,  I  was  engaged  in  the  practice 
of  my  profession,  which  enabled  me  to  buy  a  home  and 
get  my  family  comfortably  settled,  and  I,  probably  would 
have  eschewed  politics  for  all  time,  had  not  the  Conven- 
tion plan  of  nominating  candidates  been  discontinued, 
and  the  "Australian"  or  ''popular  vote"  plan  been  sub- 

181 


stituted  for  it.  By  this  tolcen,  I  knew  that,  the  influence 
of  the  "bosses,"  so  called,  would  not  be  so  potent  as  on  the 
convention  floor;  and  I  determined  to  "pick  my  flint"  and 
try  again. 

The  dry  details  of  professional  practice,  whether  it 
be  along  the  lines  of  theology,  medicine  or  law,  are  of 
little  interest  to  the  average  reader;  but,  perhaps,  some 
reference  to  a  few^  of  a  humorous  nature,  will  not  be 
amiss. 

During  the  years  between  1885  and  1897,  the  prose- 
cuting attorneys  of  Cuyahoga  County  were,  far  above  the 
average,  in  both  learning  and  effort,  although,  Messrs. 
Homer  B.  DeWolf,  ''Sam"  Eddy,  Alexander  Hadden,  Peter 
H.  Kaiser  and  William  Robinson,  who  antedated  them, 
were  all  gentlemen  of  liberal  education  and  high  profes- 
sional standing. 

Between  the  dates  mentioned,  there  were  a  large 
number  of  murder  cases  tried,  and  it  so  happened  that, 
this  writer  was  defending,  in  a  number  of  them.  In  those 
days  attorneys  were  not  restricted  in  time ;  on  both  sides, 
they  were  allowed  to  discuss  all  the  evidence,  ad  libitum, 
especially,  in  felony  cases,  and,  frequently,  the  argu- 
menst,  in  homicide  cases,  occupied  a  day  or  more,  on  both 
sides. 

I  recall  a  case  of  murder  in  the  first  degree,  which 
carried  with  a  conviction  a  life  penalty,  in  which  my  ar- 
gument for  the  defendant  had  run  over  into  the  second 
day;  and,  it  being  then  near  noon,  William  B.  Neff,  Esq. 
(Now  Judge  Neff) ,  was  nervously  pacing  the  floor.  What 
the  condition  of  the  jurors  w^as,  ''depondent  saith  not." 

Some  one  said,  ''Neff,  when  are  you  going  to  make 
your  argument?"  to  which,  Mr.  Neff  answered:  "God  only, 
knows;  if  Green  does  not  finish  soon,  my  administrator 
will  have  to  make  it!"  However,  before  the  recess,  I 
resum.ed  my  seat,  and  Prosecutor  Neff  began  his  reply. 
In  his  gentle-suave  manner,  he  b-egan :    "Now,  gentle- 

182 


men  of  the  jury,  don't  you  be  swerved  from  the  path  of 
rectitude  by  Mr.  Green's  tears.  Gentlemen,  Mr.  Green  is 
a  born  actor,  and  his  proper  sphere  of  duty  is  on  the 
stage— not  at  the  bar.  Why,  gentlemen,  recently,  after 
one  of  those  copious  flows  of  tears,  I  went  to  the  trouble 
and  expense  of  having  one  of  them  analyzed  by  a  compet- 
ent chemist;  and,  when  that  chemist  reached  the  last 
analysis  of  that  tear,  what  do  you  think  he  found?— Sim- 
ply a  dollar  mark— for  revenue  only!!" 

The  jurors  and  onlookers  who  had  been  absorbed  for 
the  instant,  gave  loose  rein  to  their  feelings— and  laughed 
audibly.  Such  was  one  of  the  tactics  of  that  eloquent  and 
able  gentleman. 

There  was  another  case  tried  during  that  decade, 
which  caused  considerable  comment,  and  added  to  my  rep- 
utation, as  a  ''criminal  attorney;"  although,  if  the 
amount  involved  is  not  considered,  my  civil  practice  far 
exceeded  my  practice  in  the  criminal  branch.  The  case, 
now  referred  to,  was  that  of  Ohio  vs.  Clark,  one  of  two 
men  indicted  for  the  murder  of  a  poor  youth  who  was  on 
his  way  to  catch  a  train,  for  his  school,  at  Hudson,  Ohio. 

There  was  another  "first  degree"  indictment,  in  that 
case;  it  was  that  of  a  man  by  the  name  of  Dempsey ;  who 
was  ably  defended  by  the  late  Harrison  J.  Ewing,  Esq., 
who  was  assisted  therein,  by  this  writer.  Mr.  Ewing  also 
assisted  me  in  the  trial  of  the  Clark  case.  We  were  en^ 
gaged,  from  first  to  last,  about  thirty  days,  in  the  trial  of 
these  two  cases;  and  the  outcome  was,  that,  both  defen- 
dants were  found  guilty  of  murder  in  the  second  degree ; 
and  received  a  life  sentence  in  the  penitentiary.  Mr. 
Clark,  who  was  tuberulous,  died,  after  a  few  years  incar-. 
ceration;  but,  Mr.  Demipsey,  after  the  lapse  of  seven  or 
eight  years,  was  pardoned ;  and,  being  married,  he  is  now 
living  the  life  of  an  industrious,  respected  citizen. 

In  defending  Clark,  this  writer  and  others  (including^ 
the  late  Judge  Carlos  II.  Stone,  who  presided),  shed  a  few 

183 


more  of  those  tears,  to  which  reference  has  been  made, 
during  the  dehvery  of  my  argument  for  the  defense; 
whereupon,  Prosecutor  Theodore  L.  Strimple  (now  Judge 
Strimple)  exclaimed:  "Well,  you  have  shed  tears,  now, 
you  had  better  offer  up  a  prayer!"  Taking  him  at  his 
word,  this  writer  immediately  knelt  and  ''offered  up"  a 
prayer,  for  wisdom,  strength  and  success  in  his  under- 
taking. 

This  was  a  decided  innovation  in  the  method  of  try- 
ing a  law-suit;  and  it  attracted  universal  attention,  on 
the  part  of  both  the  bar  and  the  public.  The  new^spapers 
contained  accounts  of  the  incident;  and  one  of  them  sent 
a  representative  to  interview  lawyers  and  others,  as  to 
the  propriety,  first,  of  a  lawyer  crying,  in  the  course  of 
his  argument;  and,  second,  with  reference  to  the  prayer 
that  was  offered. 

The  attorneys  gave  various  answers,  as  to  the  first; 
but,  fortunately,  for  me,  the  Supreme  Court  of  Tennes- 
see, had,  just  at  that  time,  handed  down  a  decision  which 
involved  this  identical  question — of  tears;  in  that  decis- 
ion, the  court  said,  in  substance,  that,  a  lawyer  may  weep, 
in  the  midst  of  his  argument,  if  he  is  moved,  by  the  merits 
of  his  case,  to  do  so ;  and,  doubt  is  expressed  as  to  wheth- 
er or  not  the  attorney  has  performed  his  whole  duty,  if 
he  feels  like  crying  and  refrains  from  doing  so.  This 
was  all  in  my  favor;  but,  as  to  the  question  relating  to 
the  prayer;  they  shook  their  heads  and  remained  silent. 

So,  the  time  flew  by,  for  weeks  and  months;  until, 
on  one  fair  day,  I  met  W.  S.  Kerruish,  Esq.,  hereinbefore 
mentioned — lawyer,  scholar,  antiquarian,  who  stopped 
me,  in  the  street. 

**Green!"  he  exclaimed:  *'I  have  a  precedent  for 
your  praying  in  court!"  'Indeed,"  I  answered.  'Tlease 
give  it  to  me."  "When  Lord  Brougham  defended  Queen 
Caroline,"  he  said,  measuredly,  ''he  got  down  on  his  rnar- 
ro\7-bones  and  prayed,  in  open  court!" 

1S4 


Here,  then,  was  a  real  precedent;  and  coming  from 
that  illustrious  source,  I  was  vindicated,  beyond  all  ques- 
tion; and,  thenceforward,  the  matter  was  allowed  to 
sleep. 

There  was  another  case,  of  a  civil  nature,  which  at- 
tracted considerable  attention  during  that  period  of  time, 
the  interregnum,  as  I  have  occasionally  termed  it.  It  was 
the  well  known  case  of  Florine  A.  Combes  vs.  Dr.  J.  B. 
Fox ;  and  was  predicated  on  a  claim  of  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,  which  plaintiff  alleged  was  due  her  from 
the  defendant  for  board  and  lodging  and  services  rendered 
for  him,  at  his  request. 

This  case  was  tried  before  the  late  Judge  Henry  Mc- 
Kinney  and  a  jury,  I  appearing  for  plaintiff,  and  W.  S. 
Kerruish,  Esq.,  the  late  Judge  Henry  C.  White  and  Jeff 
M.  Stewart,  Esq.,  all  representing  the  defendant.  Dr.  Fox; 
who,  metaphorically,  exclaimed,  ''millions  for  defence; 
not  one  cent  for  tribute!" 

This  case  was  desperately  contested  by  the  numerous 
and  able  attorneys  for  the  defendant;  but,  all  to  no  pur- 
pose; the  jury  found  for  my  client — Mrs.  Combes,  for  the 
full  amount,  with  interest. 

Defendant's  attorneys  carried  the  case  to  the  Cir- 
cuit Court  (now  Court  of  Appeals),  where  the  defendant 
was  represented  by  the  late  L.  C.  Ford,  Esq.,  who,  by  the 
w^ay,  had  taught  m^e  Greek,  when  I  was  a  student,  under 
him  in  the  old  High  School;  and,  being  defeated  there,  it 
was  taken  to  the  Supreme  Court,  at  Columbus,  where,  I 
regret  to  state,  it  slumbered  during  several  years;  and 
was  finally  decided  in  favor  of  the  plaintiff.  The  attorney 
for  Dr.  Fox,  in  the  Supreme  Court,  was  Solomon  A. 
Schwab,  Esq.,  who  was  one  of  my  classmates  in  the  same 
old  Central  High  School,  1865-69. 

I  had  the  pleasure  of  turning  over  to  Mrs.  Combes, 
after  a  litigation  of  seven  (7)  years,  the  entire  amount  ci 
her  claim.,  together  with  interest. 

185 


CHAPTER  IX. 

SECOND  TERM  IN  THE  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY— 
"DADDY  OF  LABOR  DAY." 

At  the  primaries,  in  the  fall  of  1889,  I  was,  again, 
nominated  for  the  General  Assembly;  and  my  majority 
exceeded,  by  six  hundred  and  forty-two  (642)  votes,  that 
of  all  others,  on  the  Republican  ticket;  being,  to  that 
number,  in  excess  of  the  vote  cast  for  Hon.  Orlando  J. 
Hodge,  ex-speaker  of  the  lower  branch  of  the  65th  Gen- 
eral Assembly;  and,  since  there  w^ere  eleven  candidates 
on  that  ticket,  my  signal  success  was  taken  as  a  substan- 
tial vindication  of  my  previous  record. 

At  the  general  election,  I  was,  duly  elected,  by  a  ma- 
jority of  about  three  thousand  votes;  and  in  due  time, 
took  my  seat  in  the  Sixty-ninth  General  Assemibly. 

I  shall  mention  only  a  few  of  the  measures  which 
received  my  special  attention,  during  the  sessions  of  this 
Assembly,  lest  I  weary  the  patience  of  the  reader. 

The  first  was,  a  bill  to  modify  the  school  law  of  Ohio, 
introduced  by  Mr.  McDermott  of  Muskingum  County; 
which  provided,  in  substance,  that,  whenever  twenty-five 
parents  of  colored  pupils  in  the  schools  of  any  district 
petitioned  for  a  separate  school,  for  their  children,  it 
should  be  granted  to  them. 

I  fought  this  measure,  desperately,  every  time  it 
came  before  the  House,  for  the  reason  that,  such  an 
amendment  of  the  law  would  have  Ijeen  only  an  "entering 

186 


wedge,"  for  the  system  of  separate  schools;  which,  in  my 
opinion,  would  be  calamitous  to  the  colored  children  of 
Ohio.  The  bill  was,  finally,  defeated;  and  our  schools  are 
still  intact. 

The  second  was  the  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  Ohio 
State  University,  under  the  leadership  of  the  late  ex- 
President  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  to  ''hog"  the  agricultural 
scrip,  which  was  given  to  Ohio  (and  other  states) ,  to  pro- 
mote higher  education. 

This  movement  was  ably  and  persistently  opposed  by 
the  late  Prof.  Mitchell,  President  of  Wilberforce  Univer- 
sity, for  which  institution  he  desired  to  secure  a  minor 
portion  of  that  fund.  Conferences  were  held  on  the  floors 
of  both  houses ;  and,  on  one  occasion,  one  of  the  chambers 
was  given  up  for  a  general  discussion  of  the  matter,  in  the 
presence  of  many  members  of  both  branches  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly. 

The  entire  amount  was,  ultimately,  given  to  the  Ohio 
State  University,  although,  in  urging  the  claims  and  ne- 
cessities of  Wilberforce  University,  President  Mitchell 
demonstrated  his  wisdom,  courage  and  industry  to  a 
marked  degree;  and,  evoked,  even  from  his  opponents, 
many  enconiums.  Had  a  less  able  and  influential  man 
than  ex-President  Haj^es  been  opposed  to  Pres.  Mitchell, 
he  probably  would  have  won  his  point. 

On  the  day  following  the  discomfiture  of  Pres.  Mitch- 
ell, I  spoke,  before  the  House,  in  open  session,  for  an  in- 
crease in  the  tentative  appropriation  for  the  State  Nor- 
mal and  Industrial  department  of  Wilberforce;  and  my 
interest  and  energy  was  such  that,  my  argument  covered 
a  space  of  five  hours;  and  the  proposed  appropriation, 
which  was  six  thousand  dollars,  then  printed  in  the  Ap- 
propriation Bill,  w^as  changed  to  sixteen  (16)  thousand 
dollars ;  and  the  bill,  as  passed,  carried  that  amount. 

This  was  the  first  large  appropriation  which  was 
given  to  the  Normal  and  Industrial;  and  the  school  was 

187 


so  stimulated  and  enthused,  by  reason  of  it,  that  a  steady 
gi'owth  set  in,  which  has  culminated  in  the  large,  hand- 
some and  useful  plant  which  is  at  Wilberforce  today.  As 
a  token  of  regard  for  the  interest  displayed  by  me,  for  the 
school,  as  well  as  for  the  speech  which  I  delivered  on  the 
floor  of  the  House,  in  behalf  of  the  increased  appropria- 
tion, the  Faculty  of  the  University  bestowed  on  me  the 
degree  of  LL.  D.,  the  diploma  being  signed  by  every  mem- 
ber. 

The  third  bill  was  drawn  and  introduced  by  myself 
entitled  (as  I  now  recall  it)  "A  Bill  to  Create  Labor  Day, 
in  the  State  of  Ohio.  The  law  was  enacted  April  28th, 
1890,  and,  from  that  date,  the  first  Monday  in  September, 
has  been  a  legal  holiday,  in  Ohio. 

There  were  marchings  and  counter-marchings,  in 
various  states,  before  the  enactment  of  that  law;  but, 
closely  following  the  legalizing  of  the  day  in  Ohio,  Con- 
gress took  up  the  matter,  and  made  it  national  in  its 
scope,  as  it  remains,  to  this  day.  If  there  was  any  legis- 
lation concerning  Labor's  Holiday,  before  I  drew  and  se- 
cured the  passage  of  that  bill,  I  have  yet  to  be  informed 
of  the  fact ;  but,  as  to  Ohio,  I  am  positive,  there  was  not. 

On  the  first  Monday  in  September,  following  the  cre- 
ation of  the  day,  I  was  the  guest  of  the  Amalgamated 
Trades  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  I  was  received  at  the  depot 
by  a  committee  of  the  Trades  Union,  and  escorted  to 
headquarters,  and  when  the  great  procession  moved,  I 
vras  in  a  carriage,  at  the  head  of  the  procession,  with 
some  of  the  leading  officials  of  the  organization. 

In  the  evening  of  same  day,  a  banquet  was  given  upon 
one  of  the  high  hills  which  look  down  on  a  portion  of  the 
city ;  and  I  was  feted,  as  I  had  never  been  before ;  nor  have 
I  been  since.  Champagne  and  other  wines,  and  beer, 
flowed  freely,  as  I  was  hailed  by  those  honest  work-men, 
'The  daddy  of  the  day!"  The  Cincinnati  Enquirer,  and 
other  papers  gave  full  reports  of  the  proceedings;  nor 

188 


did  I  hear  or  read  then,  that,  the  day  had  been  legalized 
before  my  bill  was  enacted. 

On  the  following  Labor  Day,  1891,  I  was  again  th& 
invited  guest  of  the  same  organization;  and,  arriving  in 
the  early  morning,  I  was  escorted  to  the  Gibson  House, 
a  hostelry  which,  in  those  days,  was  regarded  as  amongst 
the  first  of  that  city. 

At  the  breakfast  table,  I  was  received  and  served  as 
a  gentleman ;  but,  when  I  presented  my  hat  to  the  usher, 
at  the  dining-room  door,  at  the  dinner  hour,  he  informed 
me  that,  lie  had  orders  not  to  receive  it;  for  the  reason 
that,  I  was  a  colored  man.  At  the  office  I  was  insulted 
by  an  offer  made  to  me,  that  they  would  serve  me  in  the 
"ordinary,"— a  place  reserved  for  the  use  of  servants  and 
children.  This  offer  I  promptly  refused ;  and  immediately 
accepted  the  offer  of  a  reporter  of  one  of  the  daily  papers, 
to  escort  me  to  another  hotel. 

Arriving  at  the  Burnet  House,  a  larger  and  better  ap- 
pointed place  than  the  Gibson  House,  I  was  received  as  a 
gentleman,  assigned  to  a  front  room,  with  a  bath-room  at- 
tachment; and  served  in  the  dining  room,  in  all  respects, 
as  any  other  American  citizen. 

During  the  course  of  the  day,  I  was  honored  by  ex- 
Governor  Joseph  B.  Foraker,  who  paid  me  a  formal  call; 
and  also  by  ex-Congi-essman  McKinley  (aftei-warls  Gov- 
ernoor  of  Ohio,  and  President  of  the  United  States),  who 
refused  to  be  a  guest  of  the  Gibson  House,  after  he  was 
informed  of  my  treatment  there  by  the  management. 

On  a  third  occasion,  we  went  to  a  suburban  resort 
and  celebrated  the  day  pic-nic-ing.  Governor  Campbell, 
then  Governor  of  Ohio,  headed  the  list  of  speakers;  but,' 
he  sent  his  secretary,  Claude  Meeker,  in  his  stead. 

McKinley  did  not  wish  to  precede  Meeker;  thereupon, 
I  offered  to  see  the  managers  of  the  day  and  have  the 
order  changed;  which  I  did.  McKinley  following  Meek- 
er, as  he  desired.    This  writer  was  also  one  of  the  speak- 

189 


ers ;  of  which  fact  he  was  very  proud— under  the  circum- 
stances. Since  that  date,  I  have  not  been  the  guest  of  any 
labor  organization;  but,  their  friendship  for,  and  fideUty 
to  me,  have  been  manifested,  in  business  as  well  as  in 
politics. 

At  a  later  day,  when  Governor  James  Campbell  of 
Ohio,  addressed  a  vast  throng  of  working  men,  at  Good- 
ale  Park,  Columbus,  I  w^as  honored  by  being  on  the  pro- 
gramme, as  one  of  the  speakers.  The  Governor,  who  was 
not  only  eloquent  but,  also,  humorous,  on  this  occasion, 
said,  in  the  midst  of  his  speech,  referring  to  laboring  men, 
that,  there  was  one  position  which  he  had  always  coveted, 
but  had  never  attained  to ;  then,  glancing  at  me — sitting 
near  him,  he  exclaimed,  "that  position  is  porter  on  a  Pull- 
man car!"  Loud  laughter  greeted  this  essay  of  wit  and 
humor. 

However,  my  opportunity  finally  came;  when  glanc- 
ing at  the  Governor,  I  said :  ^'Gentlemen,  I  am  more  than 
than  sui-prised  to  hear  the  Governor  of  the  great  state  of 
Ohio,  declare  that,  he  does  now  or  ever  has  aspired  to  the 
position  of  porter  on  a  Pullman  car.  Why,  gentlemen, 
nearly  thirty  years  ago,  I  was  a  porter  on  a  sleeping  car, 
which  ran  from  Cleveland  to  Cincinnati;  and  I  labored 
and  studied  to  attain  to  a  higher  position ;  and  here  I  am, 
today,  sitting  and  speaking  by  the  side  of  the  Governor 
of  Ohio — the  guest  of  a  great  Labor  organization  of  the 
State  of  Ohio!" 

The  effect  of  this  retort  can  be  better  imagined  than 
described ;  but,  from  the  noise  the  crowd  made,  I  imagined 
I  had  given  him  my  "Rowland  for  his  Oliver." 

Another  bill  which  I  drew,  when  in  the  69th  General 
Assembly  was  one  to  exempt  from  garnishee  process,  the 
-  wages  due  to  a  person  who  is  the  "sole  support  of  a  wid- 
owed mother."  It  remains  to  this  day  in  the  statute  books 
of  Ohio,  and  is  frequently  invoked  to  protect  poor  widows 
from  want. 

190 


I  ought  to  say,  perhaps,  that,  during  the  sessions  of 
this  69th  General  Assembly,  I  drew,  introduced  and  se- 
cured the  passage  of  a  bill,  which  added  one  thousand  dol- 
lars to  the  salaries  of  our  under-paid  common  pleas 
judges.  In  addition  to  this,  I  led  the  fight  for  the  addi- 
tion of  a  fraction  of  a  mill  to  our  tax  assessments,  to 
create  a  fund  which  paid  for  the  Soldiers'  and  Sailors' 
Monument,  on  our  Public  Square.  This  I  did  in  compli- 
ance v/ith  the  wishes  of  the  late  Levi  T.  Schofield,  Esq.,  a 
grand,  good,  talented  man,  who  was  the  architect  and  soul 
of  the  whole  movement.  And  I  also  made  special  effort 
for  legislation  fathered  by  Councilman  Curtiss  of  Cleve- 
land, for  the  construction  of  our  Central  viaduct.  The 
foregoing,  with  a  mass  of  routine  legislation,  too  numer- 
ous to  mention,  called  for  much  energy  and  effort,  until 
the  close  of  that  session. 

Having  now  served  four  eventful  sessions  of  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  to  the  neglect  of  my  professional  business, 
I  began  to  tire  of  it;  for,  in  very  truth,  my  only  reason 
for  neglecting  my  law  office,  and  spending  my  winters 
and  springs  in  Columbus,  came  from  a  desire,  on  my  part, 
to  blaze  the  way  for  others  of  my  class ;  who,  I  believed^ 
would  follow  me;  and  now,  that  the  road  was  open  and 
clear,  I  was  ready  to  retire  to  my  private  duties. 

Thereupon,  numerous  of  my  friends,  of  both  races, 
began  to  advise  me  to  stand  for  the  senatorial  "toga," 
which,  I  must  confess,  found  in  me  a  ready  and  willing 
listener;  not  more  because  the  term  "senator,"  was  music 
in  my  ears,  than  for  the  reason  that,  the  fact  of  repre- 
senting such  a  populous,  wealthy  and  intelligent  consti- 
tuency as  inhabited  the  great  city  of  Cleveland  and  her 
environs — the  fii^t  city  of  the  great  State  of  Ohio,  would 
be  an  additional  honor  which  few  men  would  decline. 

So,  I  yielded;  and,  therefonvard,  was  recognized  as 
a  candidate  for  senatorial  honors.  The  convention,  in  due 
time  was  called  to  order;  and  the  contests  for  the  place 

191 


were  "hotly"  waged.  At  one  time,  I  considered  that  T 
had  been  defeated;  and  I  went ''  'way  back"  and  sat  down. 
The  fact  that  the  Honorable  William  H.  Clifford,  a  colored 
man,  was  on  the  floor  of  the  convention,  distributing  his 
tickets  and  soliciting  support  for  the  lower  house,  did  not 
aid  my  cause  in  the  least;  for,  I  was  certain  that,  with 
only  about  one  colored  vote  in  a  hundred,  at  that  time, 
the  colored  people  would  not  be  given  a  member  in  each 
branch  of  the  Assembly;  and  then  too,  those  who  were 
contesting  my  candidacy  for  the  Senate,  pointed  to  the 
fact,  that,  the  colored  voters  were  not  united — one  fac- 
tion demanding  representation  in  the  House,  and  another 
seeking  a  footing  in  the  Senate. 

Finally  the  late  Charles  W.  Snider,  Esq.,  who,  for 
five  consecutive  years,  had  a  desk  in  my  office,  and  on  my 
certificate,  took  his  examination  for  the  Ohio  bar,  came 
to  me  and  said,  that,  if  I  would  promise  to  support  John 
^Herman's  re-election  to  the  United  States  Senate,  he 
could  secure  for  me  the  votes  of  two  wards.  I  readily  ac- 
cepted the  proposition,  because  John  Sherman,  was  my 
choice,  in  any  event;  and,  another  ballot  being  taken,  I 
was  nominated  by  a  safe  plurality,  amidst  loud  acclama- 
tion on  the  part  of  my  friends.  One  of  my  most  earnest 
and  energetic  supporters,  amongst  the  colored  people,  was 
The  Honorable  Harry  C.  Smith,  then  and  now  editor  of 
the  Gazette,  the  militant  and  unswerving  advocate  of  the 
rights  of  the  colored  Americans. 

At  the  general  election  I  was  duly  elected  by  a  plu- 
rality of  several  thousand  votes;  and,  for  the  first  and 
only  time,  thus  far,  Ohio  had  elected  a  colored  man  Sena- 
tor; a  fact  which  I  could  scarcely  realize.  I  had  declared 
before  being  elected  to  the  Senate,  that,  if  elected,  I 
I  would  never  be  a  candidate  for  any  other  representative 
office.  I  have,  thus  far,  kept  my  word,  and  expect  to  in 
the  future. 


192 


CHAPTER  X. 
IN  THE  SENATE;   SUNSHINE  AND  SHADOW. 

When  the  Senate  of  the  70th  General  Assembly  was 
organized  I  was  duly  sworn  in,  and  took  my  allotted  seat, 
which  was  near  the  center  aisle,  in  the  outer  rim  of  the 
semi-circle.  My  nearest  neighbors  being  the  senators 
from  Hamilton  county. 

Of  course,  I  was,  easily,  the  cynosure  of  all  eyes ;  but, 
that  fact  was  not  to  be  wondered  at ;  for,  it  was  an  his- 
torical event,  which  marked,  in  an  unmistakable  way, 
the  steady,  onward  trend  of  a  great  people,  whose  ances- 
tors, for  the  most  part,  had  scarcely  emerged  from  a 
barbaric  despotism. 

True  it  is,  that  prior  to  this  time,  two  different  col- 
ored men  had  been  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  United 
States;  and  had  been  sworn  in,  as  members  of  the  same; 
and  served  their  term;  but,  these  men  were  not  elected 
by  popular  vote.  They  were  elected  by  members  of  leg- 
islatures, in  two  of  the  '^Gulf  States,''  during  the  ''Recon-= 
struction"  period ;  at  a  time  when  their  respective  states 
w^ere  dominated  by  the  votes  of  the  Freedmen,  and  som.e 
of  the  legislators  could  neither  read  nor  write. 

The  relative  strength  of  the  respective  classes,  white 
and  colored,  in  Cleveland  and  Cuyahoga  County,  at  the 
time  of  my  election,  was,  about,  as  one  or,  perhaps  two, 
to  a  hundred ;  and  all  the  functions,  social,  political  and 

193 


educational,  were  in  the  hands  and  under  the  control  of 
''white  male  citizens,"  which  constituted  a  marked  con- 
trast, between  elections  of  colored  men  in  Ohio  and 
those  in  the  lower  tier  of  southern  states.  As  an  indica- 
tion of  the  view  taken  of  my  election,  by  white  in  Ohio, 
the  following-  anecdote  will  be  enlightening : 

I  vvas  sitting  at  my  desk,  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate, 
when  a  white  gentleman,  visitor,  approached  me,  and  the 
following  colloquy  ensued :  Gentleman :  "I  beg  pardon ; 
but,  are  you  a  member  of  this  Senate?" 

The  v/riter:    ''Yes,  sir,  I  am  a  member  of  this  body." 
Gentleman,  v/ith  apparent  surprise :   "Where  are  you 

from?" 

The  Writer:    "I  am  from  the    25th— the    Cleveland 

district." 

Gentleman,  still  more  surprised:  "How,  on  earth,  did 
you  ever  get  here?" 

I  answered  him  by  saying,  that  the  people  were  not 
only  just,  but,  generous;  and  that  they  had  sent  me  to 
the  Senate,  partly,  out  of  compliment  to  the  colored  resi- 
dents of  the  district ;  and,  partly,  as  a  reward  of  merit  for 
my  long  years  of  fidelity  and  labor  in  behalf  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  and,  at  the  local  bar.  Then  followed  a 
long  conversation  between  him  and  me,  in  w^hich  he 
showed  his  great  sui-prise  at  the  extraordinaiy  progress 
made  by  the  colored  people,  since  emancipation,  under  dis- 
couraging handicaps. 

The  presiding  officers  of  this  senate  were  the  lata 
Andrew  L.  Hams,  President  of  the  Senate,  and  Elbert 
L.  Lampson,  president  pro  tern;  both  learned  and  able 
men.  Mr.  Harris,  subsequently,  became  Governor  of 
Ohio,  and  Mr.  Lampson,  w^as,  for  years,  the  honored  and 
efficient  reading  clerk  of  the  House  of  Representatives, 
at  Washington. 

On  an  auspicious  occasion,  President  Lampson  called 
me  to  preside  over  the  Senate  of  Ohio ;  and^  I  gladly  and 


eagerly  availed  myself  of  the  opportunity;  for,  although 
my  active  experience  as  a  parliamentarian  was  exceeding- 
ly limited,  yet,  here  was  Opportunity  knocking  at  my 
door,  and  I  dared  not  let  it  pass  me  by. 

During  the  half  hour  or  more  which  elapsed,  while  I 
occupied  the  chair,  the  Hon.  James  E.  Campbell,  ex-Gov- 
ernor of  Ohio,  entered  the  Senate  Chamber,  and  I  had  the 
superlative  pleasure  of  introducing  him  to  the  Senators, 
who  stood,  to  receive  him. 

It  is,  also,  worthy  of  note,  I  think,  that,  during  the 
same  period  of  time,  I  w^as  the  defacto  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor of  the  State  of  Ohio. 

Later  on,  I  will  include  a  list  of  all  the  bills  which  I 
actively  supported,  while  a  member  of  the  Senate;  but, 
at  present,  I  shall  confine  myself  to  mentioning  a  few,  to 
v/hich  I  gave  especial  and  energetic  effort. 

First,  the  Street-car  Vestibule  Bill,  which  made  it 
obligatory  on  the  part  of  the  owners  and  operators  of 
street-cars,  to  annex  to  them  enclosed  '"vestibules,"  for 
the  protection  of  motormen  and  conductors  from  the 
rigors  of  winter  and  inclement  weather. 

Prior  to  that  time,  both  of  those  employes,  w^ere  com- 
pelled to  protect  themselves  from  the  w^eather,  as  best 
they  could,  without  any  other  than  that  of  their  wearing 
apparel,  and,  since  their  motor  power  was  horses,  the  op- 
portunities of  warming  themselves  were  few,  and  quite 
inadequate. 

The  bill  came  over  to  the  Senate  from  the  House; 
but,  the  lobby  in  opposition  to  it,  in  the  upper  house,  was 
so  strong  and  influential,  that  it  found,  at  first,  little  or 
no  favor.  Here,  I  found  an  opportunity  of  repaying,  to 
some  extent,  the  many  favors  which  the  laboring  men 
had  conferred  on  me;  and  I  lost  no  time  in  going  to  *'the 
front,"  in  support  of  this  bill.  I  builded  more  wisely  thaa 
I  anticipated ;  and  ere  long  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
the  bill  enacted  into  a  law — still  existing,  which  resulted 

195 


in  the  placing  of  vestibules  on  the  front  and  rear  of  eveiy 
railway  passenger  car. 

It  was  argued  that  the  glass  windows  in  the  front 
of  the  proposed  vestibules,  would  become  frosted  and  cov- 
ered with  snow,  so  as  to  obscure  the  vision  of  the  motor- 
man,  thereby  increasing  fatalities  and  other  accidents; 
but,  down  to  this  date,  the  prophecy  has  not  been  ful- 
filled, nor  does  it  seem  likely  to  be  in  the  future. 

Another  bill  which  I  took  under  my  wing — metaphor- 
ically speaking,  was  the  one  which  provided  that  the  coal 
miners  of  the  state  should  be  paid  "by  the  run  of  the 
mine,"  instead  of  *'by  the  screen,"  which  was  then  in 
vogue.  Now  there  were  annually,  many  thousands  of 
tons  of  fine  coal  which  passed  through  the  screen  and  sold 
at  a  good  price,  in  the  market,  for  the  mining  of  which, 
the  miners  received  no  pay;  and  it  seemed  only  reason- 
able and  fair,  that,  they  should  be  recompensed  for  all 
that   went  into  the  market. 

This  bill  was  bitterly — stubbornly  opposed  by  the 
mine  owners,  throughout  the  State;  and  the  arguments 
and  other  efforts  to  secure  its  defeat,  Vvere  numerous,  and, 
at  times,  interesting.  I,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Vestibule 
Bill,  espoused  the  cause  of  the  laborers ;  but,  as  my  mem- 
ory now  serves  me,  the  bill  could  muster  the  support  of 
only  six  (6)  votes,  amongst  tlie  entire  membership  of  the 
Senate — and  failed  of  passage.  However,  it  is  still  a 
source  of  great  satisfaction  to  me,  to  know  that,  I  strenu- 
ously supported  our  idea,  which  ultimately,  prevailed,  and 
that,  for  many  years,  the  hard  workers — *'do\\Ti  in  the 
coal  mines,  underneath  the  gTound,"  have  been  receiving 
their  just  reward,  in  this  respect;  whatever  else  may  be 
said,  apropos  of  other  contentions. 

A  humorous  sequel  arising  out  of  this  contention  over 
the  "'Anti-Screen  Bill,"  will  bear  repeating,  here,  I  think ; 
and,  I  will  add,  I  did  not  become  fully  informed,  in  the 

196 


premises,  until  after  the  lapse  of  a  decade  or  more  of 
years;  so  well  had  my  informant  kept  the  secret. 

At  a  time  when  the  contest  was  at  its  topmost  height, 

a  senator  came  to  me  and  said:    "Senator,  the 

Coal  Co.  has  a  ''book"  of  abstracts  of  coal  lands,  which 
they  desire  to  have  examined  by  an  expert;  and  I  have 
referred  them  to  you.  They  will  pay  you  well  for  your 
work;  and,  I  hope  you  can  accept  the  offer."  I  thanked 
him,  and  lost  no  time  in  coming  in  touch  with  the  com- 
pany, and  receiving  from  them  a  ''book"  of  about  tiiirty 
abstracts  of  title,  to  coal  lands,  in  the  heart  of  the  coal 
producing  section. 

I  carried  the  "book"  to  my  lodgings  and,  from  five 
o'clock  a.  m.,  until  the  breakfast  bell  rang,  for  several 
days,  I  scrutinized  those  abstracts,  until  the  work  was 
finished;  when  I  returned  it  to  the  office  in  Cleveland, 
duly  certified,  in  accordance  with  my  instructions.  The 
gentleman  who  received  it,  asked  me  my  charge;  when  I 
promptly  replied,  "twenty-five  dollars,"  I  shall  never  for- 
get the  blank  stare  which  he  directed  at  me ;  but,  he  said 
nothing.  Going  to  his  desk,  he  drew  a  check  and  handed 
it  to  me.    I  accepted  it,  gratefully,  and  took  my  departure. 

As  the  years  passed  by,  the  transaction  passed  out  of 
my  mind;  until,  one  fine  day,  a  personal  friend  of  mine, 
said,  "Senator,  I  have  a  joke  on  you,  v/hich  I  have  kept  for 
ten  years;  but,  I  guess,  I  can  tell  it  to  you  now."  I,  of 
course,  became  curious  to  know  the  puiport  of  it;  and 
said  to  him,  in  substance: 

"Let  me  see  what  in  thereat  is. 
And  this  mysteiy  explore." 

Then  he  made  known  to  me  the  fact  that,  the  employ- 
ing of  me  to  examine  the  abstracts,  was  one  way  of  win- 
ning my  vote  against  the  "run  of  the  mine"  bill ;  by  giv- 
ing me  an  opportunity  of  collecting  from  the  corporation 

197 


the  sum  of  five  hundred  dollars — more  or  less.  I  collected 
less;  hence  the  "blank  stare,"  when  I  presented  my  bill 
for  twenty-five  dollars. 

The  establishment  of  a  system  of  Parks  and  Boule- 
vards was  a  subject  which  at  this  time  was  claiming 
much  attention  in  Cleveland.  The  munificent  gift  of  Mr. 
J.  H.  Wade,  Mr.  J.  W.  Gordon  and  Mr.  Jacob  B.  Perkins 
had  made  this  possible ;  but,  all  three  of  the  gifts  being 
predicated,  to  some  extent  on  the  future  development  and 
upkeep  of  the  system,  it  became  necessary  to  finance  the 
undertaking,  in  order  to  preserve  them,  and  initiate  the 
much-needed  improvements. 

To  that  end,  a  bill  was  drawn,  having  as  its  object 
the  bestowal  upon  the  City  of  Cleveland,  through  the  des- 
ignated authorities,  power  to  issue  and  sell  bonds,  in  the 
sum  of  one  million  dollars,  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out 
the  conditions  of  the  several  grants,  and  to  render  them, 
to  some  extent,  adaptable  to  the  needs  of  the  people. 

This  bill  was  placed  in  the  hands  of  Senator  Wilbur 
Parker;  but,  after  it  came  from  the  committee,  on  his 
motion,  it  was  referred  to  a  ''select  committee  of  one" 
(himself),  and  for  some  reason  which  I  have  nei^er 
known,  he  carried  it  in  his  ''pocket,"  for  several  weeks; 
and  notwithstanding  the  importunities  of  the  Cleveland 
friends  of  the  bill,  he  failed  to  report  it  back  to  the  Senate. 

Finally,  one  day,  when  he  appeared  on  the  floor  of  the 
Senate,  after  a  long  absence,  I  moved  that,  "the  select 
committee  of  one,  to  whom  was  referred  Senate  Bill  No. — , 
be  discharged  from  further  consideration  of  the  same;" 
and,  the  motion  carrying,  the  bill  came,  once  more,  l)efore 
the  Senate,  for  consideration.  Thereupon,  at  the  instiga- 
tion of  Senator  Parker,  a  motion  was  made  for  the  re- 
consideration of  the  motion  just  adopted;  and  a  "battle 
royal"  ensued  between  the  friends  and  foes  of  the  bill, 
led  by  this  writer,  which  threatened,  at  times  to  eventu- 
ate in  the  loss  of  the  bill ;  for  the  adjournment  of  the  Sen- 

198 


ate  was  near  at  hand,  and  the  present  opportunity  wa3 

"golden." 

The  motion  to  re-consider  was  lost,  and  the  law  was 
enacted;  which  placed  on  a  firm  foundation  our  present 
elaborate,  extensive  and  beautiful  system  of  parks  and 
boulevards;  which  is  a  source  of  so  much  pleasure  and 
healthfulness  to  all  classes  of  our  people. 

About  this  time,  a  bill  which  had  passed  the  House 
of  which  the  late  Senator  William  T.  Clark  was  the  au- 
thor, came  over  to  the  Senate  and  was  put  on  its  passage. 
It  was  a  bill  which  provided  that  the  firemen  of  Cleveland 
should  be  allowed  a  few  hours  off  duty  every  week  (since 
at  that  time  they  had  no  time  off  at  all,  for  any  purpose 
whatever.)  In  consonance  with  the  policy  which,  during 
my  entire  legislative  career  had  characterized  my  con- 
duct, I  supported  the  bill— in  fact,  took  charge  of  it ;  and 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  it  become  a  law. 

When  the  passage  of  this  bill  became  known  in  Cleve- 
land, there  was  an  immediate  outburst  of  anger,  on  the 
part  of  some  interested  persons ;  an  indignation  meeting 
was  called  and  held;  and  Mr.  Clark  and  I  were  soundly  be- 
rated ;  for,  it  was  said,  the  granting  of  a  few  hours  of  rec- 
reation to  each  fireman,  would  require  an  addition  to  the 
number  of  firemen,  and,  thereby  entail  an  extra  expense, 
which  the  tax-payers  would  have  to  pay. 

I  came  from  Columbus  and  confronted  that  boiling- 
bubbling  meeting,  and  demanded  to  be  heard.  After  much 
pounding  of  the  stand  with  his  gavel,  the  chairman  se- 
cured a  hearing  for  me,  and  before  I  took  my  seat,  my  ut- 
terances were  loudly  applauded;  but  the  general  trend 
seemed  to  be  averse  to  allowing  the  firemen  any  time  off ; 
and,  within  a  few  days,  the  Hon.  Joseph  C.  Bloch  (now 
ex-Judge  Bloch)  introduced  a  bill  to  repeal  the  abnoxious 
legislation;  and  it  was  eliminated  from  the  statues  of 
that  General  Assembly.  The  sequel  to  all  this  '^tempest 
in  a  tea-pot,"  is,  that  within  a  year  or  two,  there  was  a  law 


199 


enacted  granting  to  the  firemen  more  "time  off"  than  the 
Clark  Bill"  provided  for;  and,  today,  they  have  still  more 
time  allowed  them."  "Tmth  (justice)  cmshed  to  earth, 
will  rise  again!"  I  recall  my  connection  with  that  ill- 
fated  bill  as  one  of  the  proudest  transactions  of  my  life; 
and,  I  enjoy  telling  about  it. 

It  is  generally  known  that,  v,  e  have  on  the  pages  of 
our  statute  books  a  law  known  as  the  Civil  Rights  Law, 
which  was  fathered  by  The  Honorable  Harry  C.  Smith, 
who,  for  three  terms,  represented  the  County  of  Cuya- 
hoga (Cleveland)  in  the  House  of  the  General  Assembly. 
This  law  is  far-reaching  in  its  scope,  and  includes, 
amongst  other  public  services,  barber  shops;  tho  it  is, 
as  regards  them,  a  dead  letter;  since  there  are  few  men 
who  have  the  nerve  to  compel  by  law,  an  unwilling  hostile 
barber  to  shave  them. 

During  the  70th  General  Assembly  the  Honorable 
George  H.  Jackson,  of  Cincinnati,  who  was  the  colored 
member  of  the  House  from  Hamilton  County,  introduced 
a  bill  to  repeal  that  portion  of  the  law  relating  to  barber 
shops;  and  supported  it  on  the  floor  of  the  House  with 
much  eloquence  and  force;  so  that  it  passed  without  a  dis- 
senting vote,  as  I  now  recall  the  transaction. 

The  question  now  was,  how  to  pass  it  in  the  Senate, 
Mr.  Green's  opposition  to  it,  non  obstante ;  for  it  was  well 
known  that  I  was  fundamentally  opposed  to  turning  Revo- 
iutions  backwards ;  on  the  contrary,  it  was  easily  apparent 
to  all  the  friends  of  the  colored  race  in  the  state,  that, 
what  the  law  stood  most  in  need  of  was,  not  the  elimina- 
tion of  any  of  its  provisions,  but  more  thorough  enforce- 
ment. 

It  was  thought  that,  if  Mr.  Jackson  could  make  his 
great  speech  before  the  Senate,  the  bill  would  pass  that 
body,  no  matter  whether  this  writer  opposed  it  or  not. 
So,  a  little  strategy  was  adopted  in  order  to  enable  I'^Ir. 
Jackson  to  address  the  Senate;  and  since,  by  the  rules 

200 


of  the  Senate,  he  could  not  be  peimitted  to  address  that 
body,  as  such,  it  was  resolved  into  a  committee  of  the 
whole  Senate;  and  the  author  of  the  bill  was  peimitted  to 
make  his  argument  for  it,  before  that  body  sitting  as  a 
committee. 

This  trick  seemed  to  be  a  success,  until  after  the 
committee  rose  and  went  back  into  its  legitimate  fonn  of 
a  Senate;  when,  this  writer  arose,  at  his  desk,  and  char- 
acterized the  whole  procedure  in  anything  but  a  compli- 
mentary way;  and,  with  clenched  fist,  which  hammered 
the  desk  before  him,  dared  the  Senators  to  eliminate  any 
portion  of  that  law;  and  he  threatened,  if  the  bill  passed 
the  Senate,  to  go  to  the  colored  voters  of  the  State  and 
denounce  their  action. 

On  the  roll  call,  the  bill  failed  to  receive  the  required 
number  of  votes  to  pass  it;  and  from  that  day  until  the 
present,  no  other  effort  by  white  or  colored,  has  been 
made  to  repeal  or  emasculate  the  law. 

About  the  year  1892,  The  Cleveland  Railway  Com- 
pany, which  was  composed  of  all  the  street  railway  com- 
panies in  the  city  of  Cleveland,  save  and  except  the  inter- 
est represented  by  Mr.  Tom  L,  Johnson,  began  to  consid- 
er, seriously  the  necessity  of  disposing  of  its  horses  and 
adopting  electricity  as  a  motor  power;  and  this  made 
necessary  an  entire  change  in  the  way  of  trackage,  roll- 
ing stock,  power  plants,  and  employes ;  to  say  nothing  of 
the  vast  outlay  necessitated  in  the  erecting  of  poles, 
stringing  of  costly  wires,  and  the  acquiring  in  some  in- 
stances, of  additional  rights  of  way  and  sites  for  the  loca- 
tion, of  enlarged  and  costly  buildings. 

The  late  Senator  M.  A.  Hanna,  upon  whose  broad 
shoulders  rested,  principally,  the  responsibility  and  bur- 
den of  financing  these  very  costly  projects,  decided  that, 
it  would  be  necessary  to  sell  the  "paper"  of  the  company 
in  New  York,  in  order  to  compass  success,  in  this  behalf ; 
and,  that  they  might  get  a  fair  consideration  for  the 

201 


same,  it  was  equally  essential  to  make  a  showing'  of  a 
franchise  adequate  for  the  proffered  security. 

For  the  foregoing  reasons  and  as  a  first  move  towards 
the  accomplishment  of  these  designs,  a  bill  w-as  prepared, 
commonly  known  as  the  "ninety-nine-year  franchise  bill," 
and  given  to  the  late  Senator  Frank  0.  Spencer,  who  in- 
troduced it  in  the  Senate;  and  it  was,  thereafter  known 
of  record,  as  "Senate  Bill  No.  50." 

The  bill  provided,  in  substance,  that  the  trustees 
(Councilmen)  of  any  city  or  township  should  be  empow- 
ered to  grant  to  any  railway  corporation  within  its  limits, 
a  franchise,  not  to  exceed  ninety-nine  years  in  duration; 
provided  the  trustees  or  directors  of  the  company  should 
agree  to  pay  to  the  city  or  township  a  percentage  of  the 
gross  earnings  of  the  road,  to  be  fixed  by  and  between  the 
respective  parties  at  the  time  of  the  granting  of  the 
franchise.  At  that  time,  the  only  financial  benefit  Cleve- 
land was  receiving  from  the  said  companies  was  a  tax  of 
ten  dollars  on  each  car  in  use ;  while  a  percentage  of  their 
earnings  by  the  provisions  of  the  ''Spencer  Bill,"  would, 
even  then,  have  amounted  to  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
dollars;  and,  at  the  present  day,  the  city's  income  from 
that  source  would  be,  perhaps,  a  million  or  more  annually,, 
provided,  however,  that  the  trustees  of  the  city  were  hon-- 
est  and  business-like,  and  withheld  the  franchise  until  an 
adequate  percentage  of  the  earnings  was  secured  by  the 
terms  of  the  contract. 

This  bill  was  favored  by  some  of  the  leading  finan- 
ciers and  politicians  of  Ohio ;  and  it  had  behind  it,  in  the 
lobby,  the  influence  and  professional  services  of  one  of 
the  greatest  law  firms  in  this  state.  Moreover,  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  state,  in  the  person  of  the  late  President  Mc- 
Kinley,  favored  it  and  permitted  the  use  of  his  office,  in 
which  to  caucus,  with  reference  to  it. 

"Dan"  Ryan,  Secretary  of  State,  favored  it;  and  lent 
his  great  influence  to  secure  its  passage.      The    Toledo 

202 


Blade,  Ohio  State  Journal  and  Cleveland  World,  all  influ- 
ential newspapers,  spoke  of  it  in  commending  terms ;  and 
the  entire  sentiment  in  and  about  the  State  House,  in  so 
far  as  I  could  discover,  favored  its  passage. 

This  narrator,  too,  was  of  opinion  that  a  contract,  be- 
tween the  city  of  Cleveland  and  the  street  railway  lines, 
could  be  framed,  by  the  terms  of  which  the  city  would 
derive  a  substantial  income;  whereas,  under  the  then 
existing  conditions  (and  down  to  the  present  time) — lit- 
tle or  nothing  was  going  into  our  treasury. 

Under  the  circumstances,  I  determined  to  obtain  the 
opinion  of  the  great  daily  papers  of  Cleveland ;  and,  with 
that  object  in  view,  I  mailed  to  The  Cleveland  Plain  Deal- 
er, The  Cleveland  Leader,  The  Cleveland  Press  and  The 
Cleveland  World,  respectively,  a  copy  of  the  bill,  and  en- 
closed with  it  a  written  request,  signed  by  me,  that  they 
publish  the  same  and  comm.ent  on  its  merits  or  demerits, 
editorially.  The  World  was  the  only  one  of  the  quartette 
which  complied  with  my  request,  in  any  manner;  and  its 
editorial  comment  w^as  favorable. 

However,  the  fact  remains,  that,  prior  to  its  passage, 
in  the  Senate,  it  had  never  been  published  in  any  paper 
that  had  come  under  my  notice ;  and  the  people  of  Cleve- 
land, to  this  day,  have  never  read  the  bill. 

The  parties  interested  in  the  passage  of  the  bill,  in 
the  Senate,  insisted  that  I  should  explain  and  champion 
it,  on  the  floor  of  the  Senate;  for  the  reason,  they 
said,  that  I  was  "more  practiced  as  an  attorney,  and  fluent 
and  eloquent"  than  was  its  author. 

I  objected  strenuously;  for  the  reason  that  the  Cleve- 
land newspapers,  with  one  exception,  had  remained  non- 
committal ;  but,  day  after  day,  time  and  again,  I  was  com- 
pelled to  listen  to  arguments  by  its  friends,  and  have  cited 
to  me  the  fact  of  its  support  by  the  eminent  and  influen- 
tial men  and  papers,  outside  of  Cleveland,  mentioned 
above.    Finally,  word  came  to  me,  "ex  cathedra,"  if  I  may 

203 


use  the  expression  in  a  political  sense,  that  I  had  better 
stand  by  my  friends;  and  knowing  who  those  "friends" 
were  and  forecasting  the  wonderful  part  some  of  them 
were  to  play  in  the  great  world  drama  of  the  near  fu- 
ture— 

"Swearing  I  would  ne'er  consent — consented." 

I  explained  the  bill,  spoke  in  favor  of  it,  and,  almost 
unaided,  in  so  far  as  it  was  apparent  to  the  casual  ob- 
server, secured  its  passage  through  that  body. 

Then,  the  Cleveland  newspapers  "spoke  out,"  and 
with  no  uncertain  sound.  To  read  the  papers  alone,  see 
the  names  of  Senator  Spencer  and  myself  at  the  head  of 
the  editorial  column  of  the  Cleveland  Leader,  in  mourn- 
ing, and  have  no  other  information,  in  the  premises,  one 
would  have  thought  that  some  great  outrage  had  been 
perpetrated  on  the  state;  yet,  those  same  papers,  only  a 
week  befove,  with  a  copy  of  that  identical  bill  in  their 
hands,  had  remained  mute. 

Later  on,  how^ever,  after  an  indignation  meeting,  at 
which  I  w^as  present  and  explained  the  merits  of  the  bill, 
and  drew  from  the  large  audience,  in  the  Council  Cham- 
ber, encores  of  applause,  popular  sentiment  was  molified 
and  m.odified;  and  another  Assembly  actually  enacted  a 
fifty-year  franchise  law,  without  evoking  an  indignation 
meeting  or  the  anathemas  of  the  press. 

The  men  w^ho  originated  and  procured  the  passage  of 
the  first  bill,  through  the  Senate,  were  subsequently  high- 
ly honored  by  the  State  and  Country ;  and  properly  so,  for, 
they  were  of  nature's  noblemen,  and  dedicated  their 
whole  life  to  the  public  welfare,  whether  negotiating 
along  private  or  public  lines ;  all  of  which  the  community, 
when  adequately  informed  and  free  from  blind  passion, 
readily  saw  and  appreciated. 

The  following  certificate,  mailed  to  me  by  Hon.  Alex. 

204 


C.  Caine,  after  I  had  ceased  to  be  a  member  of  the  Senate 
gives  a  detailed  statement  of  work  done  by  me,  in  the 
Senate,  in  addition  to  what  I  have  ah'eady  mentioned  in 
the  foregoing : 

I  hereby  certify  that  Hon.  John  P.  Green  supported  all  the  fol- 
lowing named  bills  in  behalf  of  labor  while  a  member  of  the  Senate 
of  the  70th  General  Assembly. 

A.  C.  CAINE,  Clerk  of  the  Senate. 

1.  Compelling  railroad  companies  to  equip  cars  with  air- 
brakes and  automatic  couplers. 

2.  Protecting  lives  of  mechanics  employed  in  the  building 
trades. 

3.  Protection  of  street  car  employes. 

4.  Regulating  competition  of  convict  with  free  labor. 

5.  Arbitration  of  labor  tix)ubles. 

6.  Providing  employes  with  attorney  in  action  for  wages. 

7.  Preventing  discrimination  against  organized  labor. 

8.  Increasing  opportunity  of  education  for  working  people. 

9.  Relief  of  over-worked  railroad  employes. 

10.  Increase  in  force  of  mine  inspectors. 

11.  Additional  factory  inspectors. 

12.  Enlarging  the  power  of  shop  inspectors. 

,13.    Imposing  heavier  penalties  for  imitation  of  union  labels. 

14.  Restricting  manufacture  of  knit  and  woolen  goods  in  pub- 
lic institutions. 

15.  Employes  not  to  be  intimidated  in  voting. 

16.  Providing  for  the  more  distinct  labeling  of  convict-made 
goods. 

17.  Counter  floors  for  safety  of  employes  in  construction  of 
bruildings. 

18.  Providing  for  pure  oils  for  illuminating  purposes  in  mines. 

19.  Preventing  fraud  and  imposition  of  minor  employes. 

20.  Against  seven  days'  work  for  six  days'  pay. 

Mr.  Greene  is  also  author  of  the  Labor  Day  Law. 

One  of  the  most  agreeable  episodes  of  my  life  oc- 
curred about  this  time,  in  connection  with  a  grand  ban- 
quet tendered  to  Governor  McKinley,  by  the  Protective 
Tariff  League  of  Canton,  Ohio.  Quite  unexpectedly,  to 
me,  I  received  an  invitation  to  this  notable  function,  to- 
gether with  an  invitation  to  respond  to  the  following 
toast :  "America — the  Land  of  the  Free  and  the  Home  of 
the  Brave." 

At  the  appointed  time,  I  appeared  in  Canton;  and 
was  received  in  a  kindly,  gracious  way,  by  the  disting- 

205 


uished  committee,  which  was  made  up  of  some  of  the 
leading  gentlemen  of  the  city.  I  was  escorted  to  the  first 
hotel;  where  I  registered  and  was,  for  a  day,  one  of 
its  guests. 

At  the  banquet,  I  was  seated  at  the  head  of  the  table, 
on  the  left  of  Governor  McKinley ;  while  at  his  right,  sat 
Jamies  R.  Gai-field,  a  son  of  ex-President  James  A.  Gar- 
field. 

jMy  response  to  the  toast  assigned  to  me,  met  with  a 
very  enthusiastic  reception ;  and,  at  the  close  of  the  exer- 
cises, I  was  heartily  commended,  by  many  of  those  pres- 
ent. It  has  often  occurred  to  me  that  the  climax  of  my 
political  honors  was  reached  on  that  occasion ;  when  I,  an 
ex-v;aiter,  boot-black,  janitor  and  fac-totum,  in  general, 
now  a  member  of  the  Senate  of  Ohio,  from  the  most  fa- 
mous district  in  the  state,  an  invited  guest  at  that  very 
notable  function,  sat  beside  the  Governor  of  the  State, 
then  destined,  soon,  to  be  President  of  the  United  States, 
and  responded  to  that  significant  toast! 

0,  ye  humble,  struggling,  ambitious,  American 
youth,  both  white  and  black!  Reflect  on  these  facts — 
ponder  over  them;  take  courage;  and  persistently,  press 
onward  and  upward. 

About  this  time,  also,  when  the  session  of  the  Senate 
was  nearing  its  close,  I  had  an  experience,  the  relating  of 
which  may  prove  of  interest  to  the  readers  of  this  bio- 
graphical story. 

During  the  banquet,  Governor  McKinley  became 
aware  of  the  fact,  that  I  had  an  increasing  desire  to  visit 
parts  of  Europe,  including  Great  Britain,  France,  Italy, 
Spain  and  Vienna,  in  Austria.  Coming  to  me,  he  said, 
"Senator;  I  think  I  can  be  of  some  service  to  you,  in  for- 
warding your  desire  to  make  a  tour  of  Europe!"  I  said, 
"Indeed,  Governor!  I  am  more  pleased  than  I  can 
express  to  you,  to  hear  you  say  so!"  "Yes,"  he  replied: 
"I  am  going  to  New  York,  in  the  near  future,  and  while 

206 


there  I  shall  meet  Colonel  Eliott  F.  Shepherd,  a  friend  of 
mine ;  and  I  shall  tell  him  of  you  and  your  plan.  He  is 
the  owner  of  the  Mail  and  Express,  which  employs  corre- 
spondents in  parts  of  Europe,  and  perhaps,  he  will  give 
you  employment  along  that  line,  which  will  enable  yott 
to  pay  your  expenses,  while  you  make  your  tour."  I 
thanked  him,  profusely,  my  heart  swelling  with  joy  and 
gratitude ;  for  I  had  learned  to  know  that,  whatever  Mc- 
Kinley  espoused,  was  w^ell  nigh  certain  of  success. 

After  the  lapse  of  about  two  weeks,  the  Governor's 
messenger  came  to  my  desk  and  said,  "Senator,  the  Gov- 
ernor wishes  your  presence,  at  your  leisure."  I  thanked 
him;  and  "stayed  not  on  the  order  of  my  going;"  but— 
went. 

The  Governor  informed  me  that,  he  had  just  returned 
from  New  York;  where  he  met  Colonel  Shepherd;  to 
whom,  he  made  known  my  cherished  desire.  "And,"  he 
said,  "the  Colonel  will  wire  you  to  meet  him  there,  in  a 
few  days!"  True  to  the  expectation,  in  a  day  or  two,  I 
received  a  telegram  from  Colonel  Shepherd,  inviting  me 
to  meet  him  at  his  home,  located  on  the  comer  of  Fifth 
Avenue  and  Fifty-third  (?)  Street,  in  the  great  metro- 
polis— New  York. 

When  I  arrived  in  front  of  the  palatial  residence  of 
the  son-in-law  of  the  late  W.  K.  Vanderbilt,  Sr.,  it  was 
all  aglow  with  light,  and  liveried  coachmen  and  footmen 
vv'ere  in  attendance  upon  the  numerous  equipages  which 
bordered  the  curb  in  the  vicinage;  nevertheless,  not  one 
w^hit  embarrassed  by  the  fact,  I  pressed  the  button  of  the 
"Big  Front  Door,"  and,  my  card  having  been  delivered  to 
the  distinguished  host,  I  was  immediately  ushered  into 
the  elaborate  library,  where,  e?'e  long,  I  met  a  high  bom 
instinctive  gentleman,  Colonel  Eliot  F.  Shepherd. 

"Senator  Green,"  he  said,  grasping  my  hand,  "Gov- 
ernor IvIcKinley  has  been  telling  me  about  you  and  your 
plan  to  visit  Europe."    I  have  considered  the  matter;  and 

207 


I  have  concluded  to  offer  you  the  sum  of  fifty  dollars  a 
letter;  and  you  may  mail  the  Mail  and  Express  one  letter 
every  week.'*  I  answered,  that  such  an  arrang:ement 
would  be  entirely  satisfactory  to  me;  and  thanked  him 
for  it.  Then  I  said  to  him,  "Colonel,  when  shall  I  begin 
to  write  the  letters?"  "At  once,"  he  answered,  "if  you 
wish." 

Seeing  that  his  residence  was  gradually  filling  with 
the  elite  of  social  New  York,  he  noticed  my  apparent  sur- 
prise, and  remarked,  "Senator,  this  is  the  anniversary  of 
my  silver  wedding,  and  the  invited  guests  are  arriving. 
I  am  sorry  that  I  cannot  be  with  you  longer." 

Just  then,  two  gentlemen  entered  the  library:  "Sen- 
ator," he  said,  "Meet  my  brother;"  and,  turning  to  the 
younger  one,  he  said,  "Senator  Green,  this  my  only  son. 
My  son,  meet  Senator  Green  of  Ohio."  Then  I  took  my 
departure,  highly  elated  by  my  success;  for,  nov/,  I  con- 
sidered that  my  tourning  venture  was  predicated  on  a 
sound  financial  basis;  and  that  I  could  cast  all  worry  on 
that  score  behind  me. 

As  an  addition  to  the  good  words  which  Governor  Mc- 
Kinley  had  spoken  of  and  for  me,  I  placed  in  Colonel 
Shepherd's  hand  a  laudatory  editorial  which  I  had  clipped 
from  the  Cleveland  Leader,  referring  to  the  fact  that  I 
had  risen  from  a  vei-y  humble  sphere  in  life.  The  Colonel 
did  not  approve  of  the  reference  to  my  fonner  humble 
station  in  life.    This  suii)rised  me  greatly. 

The  following  week,  I  mailed  to  the  Mail  and  Express 
an  article,  one  column  in  length,  on  the  growth  of  Cleve- 
land, as  affected  by  the  Protective  Tariff.  It  was  re- 
ceived and  published;  and,  in  a  few  days,  I  received  a 
check  for  fifty  dollars.  The  following  week,  in  return  for 
a  second  letter,  which  had  been  published  I  received  an- 
other check,  for  the  same  amount.  Then,  a  day  or  tv;o 
later,  I  read  in  a  newspaper,  that  Colonel  Shepherd  had 
died  on  an  operating  table,  under  the  influence  of  an  anes- 

208 


thetic,  Vy'hile  undergoing  an  examination,  for  a  minor 
trouble ! 

I  cannot  say,  whether  my  surprise  exceeded  my  grief. 
I  could  not  truthfully  say : 

"Oh,  ever  thus,  from  childhood's  hour, 
Ive  seen  my  fondest  hopes  decay;" 

For,  in  very  truth,  my  grief  was  not  so  much  because  of 
my  individual  loss,  as  for  the  fact  that,  a  noble,  kind- 
hearted,  generous  man  had  been,  so  suddenly,  cut  off  in 
the  ''flower"  of  his  manhood,  without  any  notice  or  op- 
portunity to  take  his  leave  of  all  whom  he  held  most  dear 
on  this  earth. 

"Be  good,  my  friend,  and  let  who  will  be  clever; 

Do  noble  things,  not  dream  them,  all  day  long; 
And  so,  make  life,  death,  end  that  vast  forever, 

One  grand  sweet  song." 

— Charles  Kingsley  in  "A'  Farewell." 

The  sequel  to  this  narrative  will  come,  in  the  next 
chapter.  Suffice  it  to  state  here,  other  steps  had  to  be 
taken — other  plans  formulated  and  consummated,  before 
the  contemplated  journey  could  be  taken;  but,  in  the 
language  of  one  of  Milton's  creations: 

"What  though  the  fir  Id  be  lost? 

All  is  not  loFt:  th'  unconriuerable  will, 

And  courage  never  to  submit  or  yield." 


209 


CHAPTER  XI. 
JOHN  D.  ROCKEFELLER. 

I  am  writing  this  short  sketch,  embracing  some  of 
my  personal  reminiscences  of  Mr.  Rockefeller  and  mem- 
bers  of  his  family,  for  several  reasons;  but,  principally, 
because  I  have  always  admired  his  sterling  manhood,  his 
exemplary  life,  his  democratic  affiliations  amongst  the 
people,  of  his  acquaintance,  and  his  unexampled,  unsel- 
fish generosity.  With  all  his  wealth  and  social  and  finan- 
cial influence,  Mr.  Rockefeller  has  come  very  near  to 
leading  the  plain  ''simple"  life;  and  tho  I  have  met  him 
frequently,  in  this,  his  home  city,  during  the  past  sixty- 
three  years,  yet,  I  have  never  discovered  in  him  or  his 
family,  anything  of  the  supercilious — ''highbrow"  char- 
acteristic which  is  so  often  in  evidence,  on  the  part  of 
persons  who  are  "rich  in  this  world's  goods." 

He  has  always,  worn  his  heart  upon  his  sleeve,  to  be 
read  of  all  men,  whether  in  the  church — the  Sunday 
School,  in  the  varied  avenues  of  commercial  life  or  else- 
where. Even  the  poor,  despised  Negro,  both  in  the  north 
and  the  southland,  has  basked  in  the  light  of  his  coun- 
tenance, and  found  in  him  a  true,  open-handed  friend; 
hence,  I  not  only  admire  him  and  wonder  at  his  unheard 
of  financial  conquests,  but,  I  hold  him  up,  to  the  whole 
world,  as  an  example  of  true  nianhood  and  unadulterated 
Americanism. 

Many  years  ago,  I  noticed  and  was  "stiaick"  with  the 
fact,  that,  whenever,  as  a  "captain"    of    industry,    Mr. 

2in 


Rockefeller  absorbed  collateral  branches  of  his  own  gigan- 
tic business,  it  was  to  the  advantage  of  the  other  party; 
it  always  took  on  new  life,  which  led  to  overwhelming  suc- 
cess; so  that,  in  no  sense,  even  along  the  lines  of  com- 
petative  commercial  transactions,  can  he  be  stigmatized 
as  a  "business  vampire." 

I  have,  already,  mentioned  the  fact  of  seeing  Mr. 
Rockefeller,  as  a  young  man,  in  1858,  when  the  family 
lived  in  Cedar  Avenue,  in  Cleveland,  at  which  time  I  paid 
no  special  attention  to  him;  for  the  reason,  principally, 
that,  I  was  his  junior,  associating  wdth  a  class  of  boys 
younger  than  he,  of  whom  his  late  brother,  Frank  Rocke- 
feller, was  one ;  and  for  the  additional  reason  that  I  could 
not  then,  foresee  w^hat  the  fates  held  in  store  for  him, 
in  the  not  distant  future. 

Subsequently,  in  1859,  when  I  was  a  student  in  the 
Hudson  Street  School  (now  Sterling  School),  over  which 
Mr.  Eaton,  afterwards,  during  the  Civil  War,  General 
Eaton,  was  principal,  I  met  a  mild  mannered,  quiet  little 
lady,  who  taught  the  class  of  which  I  was  a  member,  Eng- 
lish Grammar.  This  young  lady  was  none  other  than 
Miss  Laura  C.  Spellman,  the  late  lamented  wife  of  the 
subject  of  this  sketch;  and  the  daughter  of  the  Honor- 
able H.  B.  Spellman,  ex-member  of  the  Ohio  General  As- 
sembly, if  I  mistake  not ;  a  gentleman  who,  for  his  social 
and  business  attainments,  stood  high  in  the  esteem  of  all 
Cleveland. 

The  fact  that  Miss  Spellman  and  Mr.  Rockefeller 
later  on  became  husband  and  wife,  more  than  any  other 
cause,  kept  him  in  the  eye  of  some  of  us  school  boys ;  for, 
we  regretted  the  loss  of  that  estimable  lady,  from  the 
faculty  so  keenly,  that,  we  followed  her,  in  the  future, 
with  undiminished  interest. 

Aside  from  this  casual  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Rocke- 
feller, I  had  no  knowledge  of  him  or  his  gi'owing  business, 
other  than  as  I  heard  members  of  his  Sunday  School 

211 


Class,  speak  of  him,  or  read  of  his  successful  transactions 
in  the  daily  newspapers. 

The  years  glided  (or  flew)  onward;  and  my  subject 
"waxed  fat" — became  immensely  rich,  in  the  eyes  of  the 
world;  and  through  competition,  and,  in  some  instances, 
jealousy,  was  frequently  unjustly  criticized;  until,  one 
day,  during  a  session  of  the  69th  General  Assembly,  if  I 
mistake  not,  a  member,  without  any  apparent  reason  for 
it,  disgressed  from  the  line  of  his  argument  to  brutally 
and  falsely  make  a  verbal  assault  upon  Mr.  Rockefeller,  in 
the  matter  of  his  business  transactions. 

When  he  resumed  his  seat,  I  waited,  for  a  short  space, 
to  see  whether  any  member  would  challenge  his  state- 
ments ;  and  the  silence  not  being  broken,  I  arose  and  gave 
expression  to  my  viev»'s  of  1\h\  Rockefeller,  predicated  on 
my  knowledge  of  him  from  my  boyhood  days,  in  no  un- 
certain manner;  and,  least  of  all,  complimentary,  to  the 
member. 

Colonel  Louis  Smithnight  was  present  during  the 
whole  transaction;  and  when  the  applause,  following  my 
short  speech,  had  subsided,  he  came  up  and  congratulated 
me  on  my  effort ;  and  commended  the  spirit  which  moved 
me.  All  knew  that  Mr.  Rockefeller  did  not  need  any  ap- 
ologist or  champion;  yet,  under  any  circumstances,  it  is 
difficult  to  remain  silent,  when  uncalled  for  and  unmerited 
abuse  is  heaped  upon  one's  friend,  especially  in  a  legisla- 
tive hall. 

A  year  or  two  after  the  incident  which  I  have  just 
recorded,  while  passing  through  lower  Euclid  Avenue  in 
Cleveland,  I  was  confronted  by  a  gentleman  whose  per- 
sonal appearance  and  mein  stamped  him  as  being  "facile 
princeps," — first  amongst  men.  I  knew  at  a  glance,  that 
he  was  a  Rockefeller ;  but  so  much  time  had  elapsed  since 
I  had  last  seen  him,  that,  I  could  not  positively  identify 
him ;  to  my  great  sui-prise,  he  stopped  and  addressed  me, 
calling  me  by  name.     I  reciprocated  the  courtesy,  and 

212 


said,  ^'Mr.  Rockefeller— I  believe!"    "Yes;"  he  answered. 
"Which  one?"  I  querried?     "John,"  he  replied.     ''How 
is  Mrs.  Rockefeller?"  I  ventured  to  ask.     ''She  is  quite 
well,"  he  rejoined.    Then,  he  added:    "Mrs.  Rockefeller 
and  I  have  noted  your  political  successes  with  much  pleas- 
ure; and  she  often  speaks  of  some  of  her  former  pupils." 
To  which  I  expressed  much  pleasure ;  whereupon,  he  said : 
"By  the  way!    We  have  a  cozy  home,  in  the  East  End. 
We  would  be  pleased  to  have  you  and  Mrs.  Green  come 
out  and  visit  us,  sometime."    I  inquired  as  to  a  convenient 
time  for  them;  and  he  suggested  that  w^e  notify  them, 
and  they  would  send  the  family  carriage  to  the  terminus 
of  the  street  railway  line  (at  Lake  View  Cemetery),  to 
transport  us  the  remainder  oi   the  distance— to  Forest 
Hill — the  "cozy  home." 

We  then  separated,  each  going  his  respective  way- 
he  conscious,  I  dare  say,  of  having  stooped— socially,  at 
least,  to  lift  up  and  encourage  a  fellowman;  and  I,  radiant 
with  pleasure  and  expectation,  by  reason  of  the  unex- 
pected invitation. 

In  due  time,  a  notice  of  our  coming  was  mailed  to 
Forest  Hill ;  and,  at  the  designated  hour  on  the  appointed 
day,  we — Mrs.  Green,  our  daughter  Clara  and  our  niece, 
Miss  Kittie  Skeene,  together  with  this  writer,  alighted  at 
the  terminus  of  the  street  railway,  and  mounted  into  the 
carriage  of  John  D.  Rockefeller;  and,  in  a  few  minutes, 
having  passed  the  porter's  lodge,  we  found  ouselves  upon 
the  broad  veranda  of  the  Rockefeller  mansion,  the  sub- 
jects of  a  genial  and  cordial  welcome,  on  the  part  of  Mrs. 
Rockefeller,  her  aged  mother,  her  honorable  sister  and 
two  winsome  daughters. 

Mr.  Rockefeller,  we  were  informed,  was  in  conference 
with  gentlemen,  who  had  come  all  the  way  from  New 
York,  for  that  puiT)ose. 

During  the  half  hour,  while  the  ladies  were  engaged 
in  conversation,  I  was,  comparatively,  mute;  for,  under 

213 


existing  circumstances,  I  felt  that,  like  the  "Moor  of 
Venice,"  I  could  truthfully  say: 

"Rude  am  I  in  my  speech, 

And  little  blessed  with  the  set  phrase  of  peace;" 

and,  accordingly,  I  maintained  that  "golden  silence," 
which,  at  times,  is  most  becoming. 

Ere  long,  the  touring  cari'iage  was  driven  up  to  the 
porte  cochere;  and,  at  the  suggestion  of  Mrs.  Rocke- 
feller, we  all  entered  it,  for  a  drive  through  the  spacious 
and  beautiful  park,  surrounding  the  residence;  and,  at 
the  end  of  one  hour  and  a  quarter,  without  repeating  any 
of  the  route,  we  declared  it  to  have  been  the  most  enjoy- 
able of  our  existence. 

At  one  point,  on  our  route,  our  hostess  invited  us  to 
dismount;  and  while  the  driver  waited  for  us  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  a  shaded  grove,  we  meandered  through  it, 
engaged  in  reminiscent  conversation  and  in  gathering 
vari-colored  mosses  and  sweet  wild  flowers. 

Then  it  was  that  Mrs.  Rockefeller  (whose  friendship 
and  generosity  for  me  as  one  of  her  former  pupils,  be- 
came apparent),  addressed  herself  to  me,  and  called  up 
the  past;  as  if  it  were  a  real  pleasure  to  live  over  again 
her  girlhood  days;  forgetful  that  she  was  now,  the  wife 
of  one  whose  name,  alone,  attracts  attention,  wherever  it 
is  mentioned  throughout  the  civilized  world. 

She  spoke  of  her  late  father,  affectionately,  and  re- 
marked that,  her  husband  had  named  Spellman  Institute 
at  Atlanta,  Georgia,  for  him.  She  further  informed  me, 
that  Mr.  Rockefeller  was,  metaphorically,  carrying  it, 
"under  his  arm" ;  and  that  dunng  that  same  year,  he  had 
given  it  Fifty  Thousand  Dollars. 

Further,  she  said,  that  her  father  was  a  man  of 
kindly  impulses;  and,  invariably,  favored  the  "under- 
dog". As  for  herself,    she  said,    when    teaching   in    the 

214 


schools  of  Cleveland,  she  had  no  "pets";  but,  that,  her 
sympathies,  invariably,  went  out  to  the  one  who  needed 
help. 

It  was  during'  this  conversation  that  I  made  known  to 
her  my  increasing  desire  to  make  a  tour  of  the  principal 
states  of  Europe ;  when,  she  with  her  characteristic  gen- 
erosity, suggested  that,  I  notify  her  when  the  time  was 
ripe  for  my  departure;  and,  to  anticipate,  by  a  few 
months,  I  will  here  record  the  fact,  that,  upon  that  noti- 
fication, her  great  husband  sent  me  his  check  for  half 
enough  money  to  defray  all  the  expenses  of  my  trip.  It 
was  a  gratuity,  pure  and  simple ;  for,  I  had  never  had  the 
opportunity  of  serving-  either  of  them  in  any  practical 
way,  during  my  life  time. 

As  we  neared  the  edge  of  the  grove,  where  the  car- 
riage was  in  waiting  for  us,  Mrs.  Rockefeller,  with  her 
own  hands,  pinned  on  the  bosom  of  my  wife  the  tuft  of 
pretty  moss  and  the  sweet  wM  flov/ers  which  she  had 
g-athered  in  the  wood.  A  very  gracious  act,  I  must  say, 
considering  the  relative  social  standing  of  the  hostess 
and  her  guest.  How  thoroughly  the  act  was  appreciated 
may  be  known  from  the  fact,  that,  until  her  "dying  day" 
my  dear  deceased  wife  recalled  the  act;  and  spoke  in 
terms  of  admiration  and  gratitude  of  it. 

Returning  to  the  residence,  we  were  joined  by  Mr. 
Rockefeller,  who,  being  released  from  the  conference, 
now  commanded  his  time.  A  light  luncheon  was,  there- 
upon served  on  the  veranda,  of  which  all  partook. 

My  feelings,  on  that  occasion  can  be  more  easily  im~ 
agined  than  described,  for,  who  was  I,  a  poor  colored  man, 
dependent  upon  my  daily  toil  for  a  very  livelihood,  and 
with  no  social  recognition  that  I  could  boast  of,  aside 
from  persons  of  my  own  caste  (a  strange  word  for 
America),  that  I  should  be  sitting  at  luncheon  with  the 
financial  leader  of  the  whole  world,  and  his  family! 

I  lecall  that,  I  had  said  to  Mrs.  Rockefeller,  during: 

215 


our  stroll  through  the  wood,  somewhat  as  follows :  "Mi's. 
Rockefeller,  one  of  my  most  intelligent  associates,  main- 
tains, that,  social  recognition  of  the  colored  man,  in  the 
United  States,  will  begin  at  the  top  of  society  and  pro- 
gress downward,  paradoxical  as  it  may  seem  I"  "Why 
so?"  she  ask'd.  "Because,"  I  replied,  ^'persons  of  unlimited 
means  and  fixed  social  status,  can,  with  impunity,  afford 
to  associate  with  persons  of  good  moral  character,  with- 
out losing  their  social  standing,  while  others,  of  small 
or  no  financial  standinig,  and  who,  themselves  are  strug- 
gling for  social  recognition,  dare  not  take  the  risk." 

"Well,"  she  said :  "I  had  not  thought  of  it  in  that  light 
before;  it  seems  reasonable,  and  may  be  a  fact." 

The  time  of  our  departure  was  at  hand,  the  carriage 
with  the  waiting  coachman  was  standing  in  the  porte 
cochere;  the  adieus  were  pronounced;  when  Mr.  Rocke- 
feller, and  addressing  himself  to  this  writer,  said,  *'Mr. 
Green,  I  spend  most  of  my  time  in  New  York,  and  I  am  sel- 
dom here  to  make  use  of  these  grounds.  If,  at  any  time, 
you  wish  to  drive  in  them,  with  your  family  or  friends, 
you  are  welcome  to  do  so."  I  heard  him  with  amazement, 
thanked  him,  and  we  were  v/hirled  away  by  the  well 
groomed  steeds.  I  have  never,  to  this  day,  availed  myself 
of  his  magnanimous  offer,  to  make  use  of  his  ample  and 
beautiful  grounds;  tho  his  kindly  offer  is  graven  up  on 
the  * 'tablets  of  my  heart",  never  to  be  erased. 

Some  notice  of  our  reception  at  the  Rockefeller  man- 
sion found  its  way  into  the  columns  of  the  news  papers ; 
after  which,  I  was  approached  by  sundry  needy  persons, 
>vho  tried  to  persuade  me  to  use  my  "influence"  with  Mr. 
Rockefeller,  in  their  behalf;  which,  of  course  I  could  not 
do. 

On  another  occasion,  one  of  our  best  singers,  who 
v/as  arranging  for  a  public  concert,  procured  me  to  inquire 
of  Mrs.  Rockefeller  whether  her  name  might  be  used  as 
y  ''patroness"  Mrs.  Rockefeller  answered,  by  inviting  Mrs. 

216 


Green  and  me  to  call,  a  second  time,  and  bring  the  singer 
with  us,  which  we  did.  Again,  we  were  driven  through 
some  portion  of  the  grounds;  this  time,  a  slight  shower 
of  rain  having  previously  fallen,  and  Mr.  Rockefeller  de- 
siring to  keep  his  drives  in  good  condition,  he  mounted 
his  bicycle,  and  '"piloted"  the  carriage  some  portion  of  the 
way.  When  we  reached  a  knoll  which  overlooks  the  lake 
and  the  neighboring  country,  the  driver,  in  attempting  to 
make  a  short  turn,  nearly  overturned  the  carriage;  and 
I  suspect,  that,  this  writer  prevented  our  hostess  from 
falling  out. 

On  returning  to  the  mansion,  the  sweet  singer  sang 
veiy  beautifully  for  Mr.  Rockefeller  and  his  family,  be- 
ing accompanied,  on  the  piano,  by  Miss  Edith, — now  Mrs. 
McCormick  of  Chicago,  who  translated  the  difficult  music 
at  sight,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  singer  and  all  others. 
I  recall  that  Mr.  Rockefeller  remarked  that,  in  his  youth, 
he  took  lessons  on  the  violin,  and,  for  a  while,  practiced 
six  hours  a  day.  Was  not  this  prophetic  of  future  success 
in  any  vocation  in  which  he  might  embark ;  for,  whoever 
has  the  nei^e  and  persistency  to  apply  himself  to  a  violin 
or  any  other  musical  instrument  six  hours  a  day,  will,  in 
the  end,  say,  "I  came,  I  saw,  I  conquered." 

It  was  on  this  occasion,  that  w^e  saw  and  were  in- 
troduced to  Mr.  Rockefeller,  Sr.  He  was  a  large  well  built 
man  of  ruddy  complexion;  and  the  resemblance  of  the 
two  sons,  whom  I  had  met,  was  so  striking  as  to  cause 
remark.  When  we  were  in  the  act  of  leaving,  Mrs.  Rocke- 
feller invited  us  to  attend  a  church  social  of  the  Second 
Baptist  Church,  which  was  scheduled  to  meet  at  their 
home,  the  following  week.  And  Mr.  Rockefeller  drew, 
from  one  of  his  vest  pockets,  a  little  ''bunch"  of  bank 
notes,  with  which  he  consoled  the  singer,  for  Mrs.  Rocke- 
feller's refusal  to  lend  her  name  as  a  ''patroness." 

We  attended  the  church  social,  of  course;  and  had 
seated  at  the  table  with  us  several  members  of  the  family, 

217 


in  addition  to  a  very  wealthy  and  prominent  lady  friend 
01  theirs.  On  every  occasion,  we  were  transported  to 
and  from  the  mansion  in  the  carriage  of  our  host  and 
hostess;  and  altho,  since  then,  we  have  been  entertained, 
both  at  home  and  abroad,  by  some  very  distinguished 
people,  yet,  I  have  concluded  that,  in  the  courtesies  and 
kindnesses,  showered  upon  us  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rockefel- 
ler, as  I  have  related  in  the  foregoing,  we  reached  the 
zenith  of  our  social  preferment;  just  as  at  the  Canton 
banquet,  I  attained  to  the  top-most  height  of  my  political 
aspirations.  , 

I  have  searched  in  vain  to  ascertain  the  underlying- 
reason  for  the  unusual  and  liberal  courtesies  bestowed 
upon  me  and  mine,  by  these  august  personages ;  whether 
it  was  to  gratify  the  desire  of  his  great  and  good  wife, 
who  was  always  fond  of  her  old  pupils,  or  whether  Mr. 
Rockefeller  had  heard  of  my  conduct  in  the  House  when 
a  member  attempted  to  assail  his  business  integrity;  or 
was  it  the  simple  out-flowing  of  two  great,  big  hearts, 
bent  on  scattering  sunshine  in  the  path-way  of  two  hum- 
ble beings,  yearning  for  recognition  and  encouragement, 
I  shall  never  know  perhaps;  but,  of  one  fact  we  are  cer- 
tain; it  was  a  substantial  uplift;  not  only  for  us,  but  for 
others  of  our  class;  the  good  effects  of  which,  like  the 
ripples  on  the  ocean  or  the  waves  in  the  air,  go  onward 
and  onward,  until  they  reach  the  bosom  of  Almighty  God. 

During  the  first  McKinley  campaign  for  the  Presi- 
dency, I  had  "stump'd"  for  the  Republican  party  in  Ohio, 
West  Virginia,  Kentucky,  Illinois,  and  Missouri.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  foregoing,  I  had  written  a  manifest  for  the 
use  of  southern  colored  voters,  which  Mr.  Hanna  and 
"Major"  Dick  denominated  my  ''special  literature."  And, 
subject  to  their  orders,  I,  with  the  assistance  of  two  of 
my  sons,  had  mailed  fourteen  thousand  copies  to  places, 
in  that  section,  designated  by  them. 

After  the  President  had  been  inaugurated,  I  circu- 

218 


lated,  in  Cleveland  a  petition  amongst  the  leading  poli- 
ticians and  business  men,  requesting  the  President  to 
appoint  me  to  an  office  in  Washington,  at  once  "honorable 
and  lucrative."  This  petition  was  signed  by  great  indus- 
trial heads,  bankers  and  railroad  presidents. 

Having  obtained  the  signatures  of  a  goodly  number 
of  such  men,  who,  collectively,  were  said  to  represent 
more  than  Two  hundred  millions  of  capital,  I  mailed  the 
list  to  Mr.  Rockefeller,  with  a  request  that  he  also  sign 
it.  I  may  add,  that,  I  had  drawn  a  line  through  the  center 
of  the  page  from  top  to  bottom;  and  all,  who  had  there- 
tofore received  it  had  signed  the  name  to  the  left  of  the 
line,  and  the  occupation  to  the  right,  but,  when  Mr. 
Rockefeller  signed  it,  he  wrote  clear  across  the  "legal 
cap"  page,  in  bold  characters — John  D.  Rockefeller. 

I  am  regretting  to  this  day,  that  I  released  that  docu- 
ment to  be  filed  in  the  Interior  Department,  in  Wash- 
ington; for,  in  fact,  I  valued  it  more  than  I  did  the  little 
office  which  I  secured;  and  tho  I  made  frequent  inquiry 
and  earnest  effort  to  regain  possession  of  it,  no  one  had 
been  able  to  locate  it  for  me.  Later  on  in  life,  I  received 
another  communication  from  him,  which  contains  hi* 
autograph ;  but,  I  mourn  the  loss  of  the  first,  for,  it  carried 
with  it,  in  the  very  freedom  and  form  of  the  writing  of 
it,  an  intimation  of  the  good  will  which  inspired  it. 

When  I  was  in  the  employ  of  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment, in  Washington,  I  had  occasion  to  write  to  Mrs. 
Rockefeller,  in  behalf  of  a  poor,  forlorn  person,  who  was 
struggling  against  fate;  and  1  asked  for  "an  alms"  for 
her.  She  sent  the  money,  small  in  amount,  together  with 
a  beautiful  letter,  still  in  my  possession,  of  which,  the  fol- 
lowing is  a  copy: 

My  Dear  Mr.  Green: 

Enclosed,  please  find  check  for  the  amount  desired  in  your  let- 
ter of  the  4th,  to  aid  in  lifting  the  debt  from  the  distressed  family,, 
who  find  in  you  a  friend. 

2igr 


The  case  is  unique  and  sadly  pathetic — and  how  many  such 
there  are!  The  wrongs  of  crushed  humanity  cry  aloud  from  the 
ground. 

I  recall,  with  no  small  pleasure,  my  teaching  days,  and  many 
of  the  pupils  still  stand  before  m 3  v.ith  distinctness,  and  not  a  few 
with  distinction.  Among  these  are  yourself,  who  has  conquered 
untold  obstacles;  and  standing  for  God  and  for  truth,  is  helping 
the  upward  progress  of  race  and  the  world. 

Mr.  Rockefeller  joins  in  kind  regards  for  you  and  your  family. 

Very  sincerly  yours, 
MRS.  JOHN  D.  ROCKEFELLER. 
Golf  House,  Lakewood,  N.  J. 
March  7.  1904. 

On  another  occasion,  I  enclosed,  to  Mrs.  Rockefeller 
a  clipping  from  a  newspaper,  which  complimented  me,  in 
no  uncertain  terms.  The  following  is  a  copj^  of  the  letter 
which  she  sent  to  me,  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  the 
same.    I  still  retain  the  original. 

Golf  House,  Lakewood,  N.  J. 
My  Dear  Mr.  Green: — 

I  am  pleased  that  you  decided  to  send  me  the  clipping  that 
your  letter  of  the  3rd  enclosed.  And  I  am  glad  to  be  kept  in  touch 
with  one  of  my  pupils  in  the  public  school,  forty  or  more  years 
ago.  (Note:  It  had  been  just  fifty-two  years. — J.  P.  G.)  The  time 
does  not  seem  so  long  to  me  since  you  sat  behind  the  desk,  with 
Abner  Griffin  not  far  removed,  and  the  Alstons  and  Richardsons  in 
the  same  school. 

I  am  as  proud  and  grateful  as  you  and  your  family  can  be, 
of  the  record  you  have  made.  It  is  a  quiet  but  decisive  victory 
against  fearful  odds,  which  still  beset  the  path  of  your  race. 

I  remember  the  pleasant  call  of  Mrs.  Green  and  yourself,  sev- 
eral years  ago,  at  Forest  Hill. 

Mr.  Rockefeller  joins  me  in  kindest  regard&c  to  you  both. 

Very  sincerely, 
LAURA  S.  ROCKEFELLER. 
April  11,  1911. 

Following  the  death  of  my  beloved  wife,  I  received 
the  following  telegram: 

Tarrtown,  N.  Y.    2-6-12. 
Mr.  John  P.  Green: — 

Letter,  Feby.  3rd  rec'd;  the  first  we  knew  of  the  death  of  Mrs. 
Green.  Be  assured  of  our  sympathy  for  you  and  yours,  in  your 
great  bereavement. 

JOHN  D.  ROCKEFELLER. 

220 


There  are  other  communications  and  transactions 
which  I  might  record  herein ;  but,  what  I  have  written  is 
sufficient,  I  trow,  to  prove  that,  in  my  gradual  rise  from 
penury  and  want,  I  had  gained  the  countenance  and  asso- 
ciation of  some  of  the  greatest  and  most  powerful  of 
God's  children;  and  were  it  possible  for  me  to  close  my 
biographical  story  right  here,  it  would  spell  a  career  at 
once,  unique,  if  not  romantic,  and,  at  least  bordering  on 
the  successful. 

That  Mr.  Rockefeller  may  live  to  see  the  full  fruition 
of  his  wonderful  benefactions,  is  my  humble  prayer. 


221 


CHAPTEil  XII. 

GREAT  BRITAIN. 

My  senatorial  term  being  ended,  I  declined  to  stand 
as  a  candidate  for  another  election,  on  the  ground  that 
it  entailed  too  great  a  financial  loss  on  me ;  and  also,  that 
my  professional  business  was  slowly  but,  surely  diminish- 
ing; for,  I  had  already  found  out  that,  when  a  business 
man  has  a  legal  affair  to  be  looked  after,  he  is  apt  to 
select  a  lawyer  and  not  a  politician  to  attend  to  it;  and 
besides  the  loss  of  time  from  my  practice,  and  the  out- 
lay of  cash,  incidental  to  political  campaigns,  my  keep 
at  Columbus,  and  incidentals,  such  as  the  demands  of 
charity  and  being  a  "good  fellow",  amounted  to  more  than 
I  could  continue  to  sacrifice.  Tha  following  table  will  prove 
my  contention,  in  this  behalf. 

5  Legislative  campaigns,  at  $300  each $1,500 

24  months  at  Columbus,  lost  to  my  business  at  $200  per 

month     4,800 

24  months  Board  at  Columbus  at  $25  per  month 600 

Charity  and  Good-fellowship  money  $100  per  year 100 

Loss  to  business,  indirect  by  neglect  (?)   1,200 

Total    $8,700 

Rects.  from  salary  6  yrs.  at  $600  per  year 3,600 

Total  loss    $5,100 

The  foregoing  is  an  under  rather  than  over  estimate 
of  my  loss,  during  the  twenty-four  months,  I  served  in 
the  general  Assembly;  for,  the  sessions  were  held  in  the 

222 


\Yinter  and  early  spring,  when  all  the  courts  wei'e  in  se^- 
sion;  and  my  professional  loss  was  almost  total;  more- 
over, during  that  time,  I  lost  many  good — valuable  clients 
whose  patronage  I  never  recovered;  and  over  and  above 
all,  some  of  my  clients  became  offended,  by  reason  of  the 
active  part  I  took  in  opposition  to  their  party  and  friends, 
and  dropped  me.  But,  enough  of  this,  statistics  are  dry. 
Complaints  are  unpleasant. 

My  "grip"  was  duly  packed,  for  my  European  tour, 
the  au  revoirs  were  all  said ;  t?ie  steam  was  up  and  the 
sails  inflated,  and  I  was  on  my  way  not  for  Mandalay, 
but,  for  sights  and  scenes  which,  from  my  childhood, 
had  been,  for  me,  pleasant  dreams;  now  to  be  realized. 

Does  the  reader  wish  to  know  whence  I  derived  the 
means  of  defraying  the  expenses  incidental  to  this  pro- 
tracted trip,  after  the  collapse  of  my  arrangement  with 
Colonel  Shepherd,  due  to  his  death?  Well,  I  will  let  him 
into  the  secret. 

When  I  was  fighting  for  the  bill  to  finance  the  im- 
provement of  our  system  of  Parks  and  Boulevards,  the 
argument  most  persistently  pressed  against  the  passage 
of  it  was,  that  parks  and  boulevards  were  for  the  rich 
not  for  the  poor.  That  it  would  be  the  unjust  appropria- 
tion of  the  people's  money  to  foster  the  pride  and  pleas- 
ure of  the  rich. 

To  which,  I  answered,  in  substance;  that,  the  rich, 
like  Mr.  Rockefeller,  Mr.  Gordon,  Mr.  Wade  and  others 
had  parks  of  their  own;  and  many  wealthy  people  spent 
their  summers  at  sea-side  and  mountain  resorts,  and 
their  winters  at  Palm  Beach  and  in  California,  and, 
therefore,  could  get  along  without  these,  so  called,  lux- 
uries, at  home,  if  necessary.  While  the  poor  were  con- 
strained to  remain  at  home,  the  year  around;  and  of  all 
the  inhabitants  of  Cleveland,  most  needed  the  few  "lux- 
uries." 

Well,  the  law  having  been  enacted,  and  the  system 

223 


now  assured,  some  of  our  leading  citizens  said:  **Now, 
Mr.  Green,  j^our  fight  secured  the  passage  of  our  Park 
Bill ;  and,  since  your  contract  with  Colonel  Shepherd  must 
be  abandoned,  we  will  pay  a  part  of  your  expenses,  if  you 
will  visit  the  parks  in  different  parts  of  Europe,  and  write 
a  series  of  letters  to  the  news  papers,  here,  regarding  the 
classes  of  people  who  most  use  and  seem  to  derive  the 
gi-eatest  pleasure  from  frequenting  them. 

I  readily  agreed  to  this  suggestion;  thereupon,  they 
contributed  each  a  generous  amount;  which,  with  the 
check  sent  to  me  by  Mrs.  Rockefeller,  through  her  great 
husband,  easily  made  me  comfortable  during  the  whole 
trip. 

The  stanch  and  swift  Cunard  ship  Umbria,  made  the 
run  to  Liverpool  in  seven  days ;  and,  after  landing,  I  went 
"as  the  crov/  flies",  to  the  Adelphi  Hotel,  the  leading- 
hotel  in  Liverpool  at  that  time.  I  registered  and  was  in- 
stalled in  a  cozy  room  where,  temporarily,  I  was  at  home. 
In  the  dining  room,  I  was  treated  far  differently  than  at 
the  Gibson  House,  in  Cincinnati,  as  the  guest  of  the 
Amalgamated  Trades.  Not  only  was  my  (silk) 
hat  taken,  at  the  door,  but,  the  waiter  in  his  ''dress" 
suit,  served  me  in  a  genteel  way;  and  w^hen  I  went 
into  the  barber  shop  I  was  shaved  without  objection.  In 
short,  I  immediately  forgot  that,  I  was  a  colored  Ameri- 
can citizen,  and  when  the  United  States  consul  called  on 
me — presto,  I  had  changed  to  a  full  fledged  citizen — 
abroad,  still  under  the  Aegis  of  my  dear  native  land. 

I  have  made  four  visits  to  Europe ;  and,  on  each  occa- 
sion, saw  and  experienced  many  things  which  I  am  sure, 
will  be  of  interest  to  the  reader;  I  shall  not  attempt  a 
detailed  narative  of  them,"  but,  will  review  the  principal 
features  in  a  general  way,  beginning  with  Great  Britain 
and  following  the  trend  of  my  travels  into  other  lands. 

The  late  Dr.  Adnette,  who  had  been  the  traveling 
companion  of  the  late  John  Huntington,  when  he  made  a 

224 


tour  of  Europe,  very  kindly  had  provided  me  with  letters 
of  introduction  to  sundry  persons  of  distinction,  in  Lon- 
don and  its  suburbs,  amongst  whom  were  Werner,  of  the 
Tower  of  London,  a  distinguished  man,  by  the  way,  who, 
at  the  close  of  the  Franco  Prussian  war,  in  1870,  had 
been  the  bearer  of  dispatches  for  the  Prime  Minister  of 
Great  Britain,  which  v;ere  closely  connected  with  the 
final  settlement  of  the  peace  proceedings.  This  letter  gave 
us  the  entre  into  the  Tower,  and  the  opportunity  of  seeing 
much  and  of  hearing  some  of  the  traditionary  lore  which, 
otherwise,  we  could  not  have  enjoyed. 

My  late  friend,  Mr.  Fred  J.  Loudin,  had  also  given 
us  letters  of  introduction  to  some  of  his  former  friends 
and  acquaintances,  Vvhich  opened  doors  for  us,  which, 
otherwise,  we,  probably,  would  never  have  entered. 

In  addition  to  Werner,  we  met  many  other  persons  of 
social  place  and  distinction;  of  whom  may  be  mentioned, 
The  Lord  Bishop  of  London,  Cannon  Farrar  of  West 
Minister  Abbey,  Rev.  Dr.  Joseph  Parker,  of  the  City 
Temple,  Rev.  John  Clifford,  D.  D.,  L.  L.  D.;  L.  Ment- 
zendorff,  of  Idol  Lane,  large  exporter.  S.  J.  Celestin  Ed- 
wards, scholar,  organizer  and  lecturer  on  the  universal 
Brotherhood  of  Man,  Mr  and  Mrs.  L.  G.  Sharpe,  high  in 
musical  circles,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel,  Coleride  Taylor 
great  musicians,  Mrs.  Eliza  Leech,  of  No.  4  Kensington 
Palace  Garden,  and  m.any  others. 

Amongst  the  objects  of  especial  interest  to  us,  may 
be  mentioned,  Westminster  Abbey,  The  British  Museum 
Saint  Paul's  Cathedral,  The  Tower  of  London,  London 
Bridge,  Crystal  Palace,  the  Houses  of  Parliament,  the 
Horse  Guards,  Westminister  Hall  and  numerous  parks; 
great  amongst  which,  Hyde  Park  and  Kensington  Park 
were  conspicuous.  Then,  there  were  Trafalgar  Square, 
The  National  Museum  of  Art,  The  Nelson  Monument, 
with  its  heroic  lions  conchant ;  to  say  nothing  of  the  Law 
Courts,  The  Bank  of  England,  the  ancient  and  famous 

225 


sites  of  past  and  present  theatres,  with  Piccadilly  Circus, 
Leicester  Square,  the  Marble  Arch  and  "Old  Curiosity 
Shop"  made  famous  by  Charles  Dickens. 

Indeed,  London  is  such  a  little  cosmopolitan  world 
within  itself,  that  the  mere  mention  of  a  few  of  its  most 
important  personages  and  objects  of  interest  w^ould  fill 
the  pages  of  a  little  book. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  manner  in  which  even  old 
residents  are,  at  times,  surprised  by  new  discoveries  of 
old  institutions,  I  will  relate  the  following:  One  day,  Mrs. 
Green  and  I,  strolling  down  Oxford  Street,  made  a  detour, 
when  we  were  near  High  Holborn,  just  following  our 
noses,  when  to  our  surprise,  v/e  found  ourselves  in  Lin- 
coln's Inn  Fields,  of  historic  fame;  where,  if  I  mistake 
not,  at  one  time,  numerous  executions  took  place;  and 
some  other  affairs,  of  more  v:orthy  note,  were  trans- 
acted. Quite  unexpectedly,  we  lound  ourselves  in  front  of 
the  residence  of  the  late  Sir  John  Soane  wherein  is  now 
kept,  on  exhibition,  a  museum  of  paintings,  statuary  and 
Egyption  and  Oriental  relics  which  cannot  be  duplicated. 
To  mention  only  two,  will  tend  to  enlighten  the  reader. 
There  is  an  alabaster  sarcophagus,  9  feet  4  inches  in 
length,  3  feet,  8  inches  in  width,  2  feet  8  inches  in  depth, 
and  2  1-2  inches  in  thickness;  the  alabaster  is  of  such 
purity,  that  a  lighted  lamp  being  placed  on  the  inside 
shines  through  the  sides  of  the  casket. 

Another  curio  is  the  original  paintings  by  Hogarth,  of 
the  "Rake's  Progress,"  showing  the  slow  but  sure  decline 
of  a  handsome,  promising  youth,  through  dissipation, 
from  good  health  to  disease  and  death!  We  spent  the 
remainder  of  our  day  in  that  one  little  museum,  of  which 
a  few  hours  before,  we  had  no  knowledge,  whatsoever. 

Another  incident,  quite  sui-prising  to  me,  was  that 
of  the  discovery  of  an  old  Arcade,  near  the  heart  of  West 
London,  by  my  friend  Mr.  L.  G.  Shai-pe,  who,  just  prior 
to  the  World  War,  was  the  World  agent  of  Paderewski, 

226 


the  unapproachable  pianist.  We  were  going  down  into  the 
City,  from  Wandsworth  Common,  when  we  ran  upon  this 
mart  of  trade  all  unknown  to  or  forgotten  by  this  world 
treveled  man. 

I  have  four  men  in  mind  now,  of  whom  I  am  sure  my 
readers  will  be  pleased  to  hear  something.  And  I  will 
speak  briefly  of  them:  The  fii'st  is  the  Lord  Bishop  of 
London;  of  whose  unselfish  and  persistent  labors  for  the 
uplifting  of  the  poor  and  needy  in  the  slums  of  London, 
the  whole  civilized  world  has  heard;  even  in  Wall  street, 
in  the  city  of  New  York,  during  his  visit  to  this  country, 
some  years  ago  his  voice  was  heard  in  support  of  the 
Golden  Rule. 

I  had  never  met  the  Lord  Bishop  before;  and,  my 
g-ood  fortune  in  meeting  him  on  this  occasion,  was  due 
entirely  to  the  kindly  ineiposition  of  my  good  and  help- 
ful friend— The  Rt.  Rev.  W.  A.  Leonard,  Bishop  of  Ohio, 
who  mailed  to  me,  while  I  was  in  London,  a  letter  of  which 
the  following  is  a  true  copy: 

Kt.  Hon.  A.  F.  Winnington,  Ingrain, 
Lord  Bishop  of  London. 
My  dear  Lord  Bishop:— 

It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  hand  this  letter  of  personal  in- 
troduction to  you  of  the  Honorable  J.  P.  Green,  fannerly  Senator 
from  this  city,  in  our  legislature,  and  for  a  number  of  years  identi- 
fied with  public  interests.  He  is  one  of  our  most  highly  esteemed 
citizens  and  represents  his  race  with  dignity  and  satisfaction.  He 
is  a  communicant  of  the  church  and  one  of  the  vestiy  of  St. 
Andrew's  Parish  in  this  city,  which  is  our  only  congregation 
amongst  the  colored  people  of  Cleveland. 

He  will  greatly  esteem  the  honor  of  meeting  your  Lordship, 
and  I  will  be  glad  to  have  him  get  the  inspiration  from  you  which 
we  all  do. 

With  cordial  good  wishes  for  this  New  Year  upon  which  we 

have  entered,  I  am,  with  respect, 

Faithfully  yours, 

onKA   r^     vj    A  WILLIAM  A.  LEONARD. 

3054  Euclid  Avenue, 

Cleveland,  Ohio,  U.  S.  A. 

227 


As  soon  as  I  had  received  the  Bishop's  letter,  I 
mailed  it  to  London  House,  S.  James's  Square  S.  W.  Lon- 
don and  in  due  course  of  the  mails,  I  received  the  follow- 
ing answer: 

John  p.  Green,  Esq., 
42  Walterton  Road, 
Paddington,  W. 

Dear  Sir:  The  Bishop  of  London  will  be  pleased  to  see  you 
here  at  11:30  on  Saturday,  the  20th. 

Yours  faithfully, 

K.  G.  EVERETT, 

Private  Secretary. 

On  time,  on  the  appointed  day,  I  was  duly  received  by 
the  great  and  worthy  bishop,  and  unceremoniously, 
ushered  into  his  cozy  "workshop",  as  he  was  pleased  to 
term  his  office. 

There  was  no  sign  of  aif  ectation  in  the  demeanor  of 
this  great  man.  No  patronizing  air  or  lifting  of  the  brows 
by  this  well  bred  English  Lord;  but,  grasping  my  hand, 
he  bade  me  be  seated,  and  the  conversation  began,  as 
tho  two  old  friends  had  cordially  met. 

"Well  now"  he  said,  "tell  me  about  your  people,  in  the 
United  States.  When  I  attended  the  Council,  in  Richmond 
Virginia,  I  heard  one  phaze  of  the  subject,  but,  I  would 
like  to  hear  your  side  of  it."  I  thanked  him,  and  did  my 
"possible"  as  the  French  would  say,  to  enlighten  him,  as 
regarded  the  "Negro  question",  from  the  standpoint  of 
a  colored — American.  And  was  highly  rewarded  to  dis- 
cover that,  his  views,  largely  coincided  with  mine;  and 
that,  he  too,  like  many  another  great  man  let  his  sym- 
pathies go  out,  in  favor  of  the  "underdog." 

I  intimated  my  fear  that  I  was  taking  up  too  much 
of  his  time,  to  which  he  replied  that,  he  had  no  other 
engagement,  for  the  forenoon,  until  his  Eminence  Bishop 
Mathews,  the  Catholic  Bishop  of  London,  should  call ;  and 
requested  me  to  be  quite  at  ease,  until  that  time. 

228 


"By  the  way!"  he  exclaimed,  in  the  course  of  our 
conversation,  "what  shall  I  do  with  this  beautiful  letter?'' 
holding  in  his  hand  the  letter  of  introduction  from  Bishop 
Leonard.  "I  may  lose  it,  in  the  confusion  of  my  office, 
and  since  it  is  of  such  personal  concern  to  you,  would 
you  not  like  to  have  it?" 

I  assured  him  that,  I  would  be  most  pleased  to  receive 
it,  and  he  gave  it  to  me.  This  accounts  for  the  fact  that, 
I  am  able  to  give  to  my  readers  a  true  copy  of  it,  as  re- 
corded, in  the  foregoing. 

I  discovered  that  the  Lord  Bishop  has  a  vein  of  hum- 
or pervading  his  system;  for,  he  took  occasion  to  refer 
to  a  humorous  incident,  which  owed  its  origin  to  the 
word  Ohio,  during  the  sessions  of  the  Ecumenical  Council 
in  Richmond,  Virginia,  in  the  first  decade  of  the  present 
century. 

It  was  in  this  wise;  quite  a  large  percentage  of  the 
clergy,  attending  the  Council,  used  the  "continental  i— 
pronounced  e—  thus,  pronounced  Ohio— Oheo — and  drew 
a  smile  from  our  dear  Bishop  Leonard,  when  they  re- 
ferred to  him  as  "The  Bishop  of  Ohio!" 

When  the  presence  of  the  Catholic  Bishop  was  an- 
nounced, he  was  seated  in  an  adjoining  room,  while  he 
wrote  for  me  and  my  wife  two  passes  to  Saint  Paul's 
Cathedral  to  be  used  on  Easter  Sunday,  1909,  saying, 
"here  Senator  Green,  if  you  will  present  these  to  one  of 
the  Vergers,  in  St.  PauFs  Cathedral,  on  Easter  morning, 
he  will  show  you  and  Mrs.  Green  to  reserved  seats,  near 
the  Chancel ;  and  you  will  see  that  in  England,  we  make 
no  such  discriminations  as  you  have  experienced  in  your 
South  land."  He  also,  gave  me  a  pass  which  entitled  me 
to  a  seat  in  the  visitors'  gallery,  in  the  House  of  Commons, 
which,  as  the  others,  was  duly  used.  Grasping  my  hand 
and  thanking  me  for  the  call,  we  separated.  I,  full  of 
pleasure  and  enthusiasm ;  he,  beyond  doubt,  conscious  that 


229 


in  having  done  his  bit  to  ''one  of  the  least  of  these,"  he 
had  advanced  his  cause  on  earth. 

The  second  personage  to  whom  I  shall  call  attention 
was,  the  late  Rev.  Frederick  William  Farrar,  Cannon  of 
Westminster  Abbey  and  Rector  of  St.  Margaret's  Church, 
which  stands  near,  adjacent  to  the  old  abbey. 

I  was  enabled  to  meet  Cannon  Farrar,  through  the 
courtesy  of  the  late  ex-president  Fairchild,  of  Oberlin 
College,  who,  quite  painstakingly,  wrote  me  a  beautiful 
letter  of  introduction  on  his  little  office  typewriter,  and 
after  receiving  it,  I  was  loth  to  surrender  it  to  the  dis- 
tinguished prelate ;  for,  I  am  unable  to  state,  to  this  day, 
whether  I  was  prouder  to  meet  Cannon  Farrar  than  to 
receive  this  mark  of  respect  and  esteem  from  so  distin- 
guished a  personage  as  President  Fairchild. 

There  was  nothing  in  the  fact  of  being  received  by 
Cannon  Farrar,  except  that  I  was  highly  honored  by  being 
permitted  to  call  on  a  distinguished  churchman,  scholar 
and  author,  in  the  ancient  ''Deans  Yard,"  contiguous  to 
the  sacred  land  on  which  for  centuries  has  stood  West- 
minister Abbey.  After  mutual  greetings  and  a  pleasant 
conversation,  relative  to  the  conditions  in  "America", 
we  separated,  to  meet  again  in  the  near  future,  at  West- 
bourne  Baptist  Church,  v/here  he  delivered  a  learned  and 
eloquent  lecture  on  John  Milton.  To  me,  it  was  a  signifi- 
cant fact,  that,  the  Cannon  of  Westminister  Abbey,  was 
in  the  pulpit  of  a  Baptist  Church,  presided  over  by  Dr. 
John  Clifford,  who  was  the  incarnation  of  opposition  to 
the  Established  Church  of  England,  and  was  waging 
persistent  war  fare  against  it,  in  all  parts  of  Great  Bri- 
tain; but,  since  John  Milton  himself,  belong'd  to  the  dis- 
senters, perhaps  the  transaction  was  not  remarkable. 

The  third  great  man  with  whom  I  came  in  touch  was 
the  Reverend  Dr.  Joseph  Parker,  and  I  am  inclined  to  the 
belief  that  I  "scraped"  this  acquaintance,  by  virtue  of 
the    colored    American    "push"    and    persistency    with 

230 


which,  twenty-five  years  ago,  I  was  endowed.  Dr.  Parker, 
for  some  thirty  years,  had  been  accustomed  to  preach  a 
Thursday  noon  sermon,  which,  with  the  beautiful  singing 
and  other  attractions,  drew  large  congregations  of  the 
literary  elite  of  the  whole  civilized  world  to  hear  him ;  for 
there  is  not  a  day,  but  that  multitudes  of  wayfarers  from 
all  the  points  of  the  compass,  find  their  way  within  the 
walls  of  the  Greatest  City,  looking  for  attractions  of  one 
kind  and  another.  Dr.  Parker,  received  me  in  his  ''sac- 
risty," after  preaching  one  of  his  famous  sermons,  and 
having  in  my  possession  the  letter  which  the  Lord  Bishop 
had  returned  to  me,  I  shov/ed  it  to  him.  He  read  it  with 
evident  pleasure,  and  invited  me  to  call  at  his  home,  on 
the  following  day,  and  dine  with  him  and  his  good  wife. 

It  is  needless  to  say,  I  accepted  the  invitation  with 
undisguised  pleasure;  and  spent  an  hour  with  the  dis- 
tinguished couple  which  I  shall  remember  to  the  end  of 
my  life.  The  conversation  turned  on  Great  Americans, 
and  also,  on  the  subject  of  public  lectures.  Dr.  Parker 
expressed  the  opinion  that,  not  even  the  Rev.  Thomas 
DeWitt  Talmage,  with  all  his  eloquence,  could  draw  a 
large  audience  in  London,  at  that  time,  to  hear  him  lec- 
ture; so  coldly  were  lecturers  then  received.  I  asked  him 
v/hat  he  thought  Henry  Waid  Beecher's  chances  would 
be,  were  he  alive  and  active.  He  was  of  the  same  mind, 
in  both  cases.  Then  changing  the  subject  somewhat 
abruptly,  he  exclaimed,  'T  regard  that  countryman,  of 
yours,  a  great  philosopher! — Frederick  Douglass,  I  refer 
to." 

I  readily  assented  to  that  view  (with  a  degree  of 
pride),  and  said,  that,  Gambetta  the  great  French  states- 
man, had  recently,  expressed  the  same  opinion. 

'T  heard  an  anecdote  concerning  him  (Douglass)  re- 
lated recently",  he  added.  ''On  one  occasion,  as  the  story 
runs,  subsequent  to  the  passage  of  the  Fugitive  Slave 
Law,  and  the  rendition  of  the  Dred  Scott'  Decision,  the 

231 


outlook  for  the  cause  of  Emancipation  was  dark  and  well 
nigh  hopeless.  There  was  a  meeting  of  the  friends  of 
liberty  in  progress.  Douglass  was  demure  and  of  a  down 
east  demeanor.  Old  Sojourner  Truth  noticed  these  signs 
of  discouragement;  and  at  a  p2'oper  time,  she  exclaimed 
ui  her  piping  voice — "Frederick,  is  God  dead?"  That  ex- 
clamation, so  full  of  truth  and  hope  in  the  power  of  Al- 
mighty God,  coming,  as  it  did,  from  that  infirm  old  wom- 
an, rekindled  the  fire  within  them,  and  so  inspired  them, 
that,  from  that  moment  onward,  all  was  vigor  and  deter- 
rtiination  to  win. 

The  personel  of  Dr.  Parker  in  the  pulpit  was  reas- 
suring, so  to  speak.  One  saw  at  a  glance,  a  real  man  in 
his  size,  form  and  general  bearing,  one  of  "Nature's  noble- 
men." He  carried  between  his  shoulders,  a  large  head, 
a  high  expansive  forehead,  eyes  deep  set  beneath  the 
"umbrageous"  brows,  and  a  shock  of  "shaggy"  hair,  which 
caused  him,  when  animated,  to  present  that  Leonine  ap- 
pearance, which  was,  altogether  unmistakable;  and  his 
deep,  sonorous  voice  was  quite  suited  to  the  man.  He  was 
such  a  plebean  and  approachable  man,  that,  after  his 
ponderous  and  entertaining  sermons  were  delivered,  he 
took  pleasure  in  answering  questions,  and  in  conversing 
V7ith  any  one  who  visited  him,  in  his  sacristy.  This  writer 
had  the  good  fortune,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  to 
meet  him  there;  and  he  condescended  to  spend  some 
minutes  in  pleasant,  instructive  conversation  with  him. 
\^>  On  one  occasion,  he  said,  "Well,  you  heard  me  preach 
ihe  same  sermon  twice.  I  preached  it  last  Thursday,  and 
I  repeated  it,  today!"  I  answered,  that,  it  was  well  worth 
repeating,  for,  it  was  replete  with  instruction  and  edifi- 
cation. 

On  the  occasion  referred  to,  when  Doctor  Parker,  in 
my  presence,  spoke  in  such  admiring  terms  of  Frederick 
Douglass,  he  expressed  an  ardent  desire  to  possess  a 
copy  of  the  autobiography  of  Frederick  Douglass;  and 

232 


on  my  return  to  our  flat,  I  mailed  one  to  him,  which  I 
happened  to  carry  in  my  'luggage."  The  second  day, 
thereafter,  I  received  a  letter  from  him  inclosing  a  cheque 
for  the  sum  of  1  £  sterling,  an  equivalent,  at  that  time  of 
about  $4.83,  of  our  money.  After  thanking  me  for  my 
"though tfulness  and  kindness,''  in  sending  him  the  book, 
the  letter  proceeded  to  read:  '1  enclose  a  One  pound 
cheque,  for  that  son  and  heir  of  yours.  I  want  him  to  see 
what  a  British  sovereign  looks  like!"  It  is  scarcely  neces- 
sary to  add,  that,  the  ''son  and  heir"  (now  Captain  Wil- 
liam R.  Green)  lost  no  time  in  making  the  acquaintance 
of  that,  identical  sovereign,  but  in  the  language  of  King 
Richard  III,  on  an  inauspicious  occasion,  he  could  have 
truthfully  said:    'Til  have  it!   but,  I'll  not  keep  it  long!" 

The  last,  but,  by  no  means  the  least,  of  the  distin- 
guished Londoners,  of  whom  I  shall  now  speak,  is  Rev- 
erend John  Clifford,  D.  D.  L.  L.  D.  pastor  emeritus,  of 
the  Westbourne  Baptist  Church;  whose  name  is  more 
familiarly  known  than  that  of  any  other  in  Great  Britain, 
save  that  of  Lloyd  George,  perhaps.  Dr.  Clifford  has  spok- 
en much  and  written  extensively,  in  the  furtherance  of 
every  good  cause  which  has  come  before  the  British 
public,  during  the  last  fifty  years ;  and  prior  to  the  great 
World  War,  it  was  generally  believed  of  him,  that  his 
influence  for  good  in  Great  Britain  was  greater  than  that 
of  any  other  man  except  the  Prime  Minister. 

When  Dr.  Parker  was  expressing  to  me  his  doubt  as 
to  whether  Mr.  Talmage  or  even  Mr.  Beecher  could  at- 
tract a  large  audience  to  listen  to  a  lecture,  in  London, 
in  1893,  he  added,  "If  any  one  in  London  can  get  out  an 
audience  to  listen  to  a  lecture,  Dr.  John  Clifford  is  the 
man  to  do  it!"  and  he  gave  me  a  letter  of  introduction  to 
him,  which  v^^as  the  foundation  of  a  friendly  acquaintance 
between  us,  and  has  resulted  in  the  mutual  exchange  of 
some  interesting  and  valuable  instruction  for  me,  to  say 
the  least. 

233 


Doctor  Clifford  is  the  bete  noir  of  the  "State  Church'* 
of  England ;  he  has  spoken  against  it,  organized  for  war- 
fare against  it,  and  written  volumes,  in  opposition  to  it. 
It  remains  to  be  seen,  during  these  turbulent  times,  fol- 
lowing in  the  wake  of  the  World  War,  what  will  be  the 
fate  of  that  relationship  between  the  State  and  the 
Church,  which  has  subsisted  for  so  many  centuries.  That 
the  Doctor  is  not  narrow  and  intolerant,  I  feel  sure;  for, 
he  is  constantly  working  for  a  union  of  all  the  orthodox 
churches;  and  I  have  shown  that,  by  his  invitation, 
Canon  Farrar,  of  the  ''State  Church",  lectured  from  his 
pulpit,  on  the  subject,  John  Milton,  to  an  audience  com- 
posed largely  of  Baptists. 

We  had  not  resided  in  London  long  before  we  became 
associated  with  a  goodly  number  of  congenial  persons, 
whose  every  effort  w^as  in  behalf  of  our  comfort  and 
pleasure,  amongst  whose  names  those  of  Mr.  Hariy  A. 
Williams  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Lissette  Williams;  Mr.  Clar- 
ence Cameron  White,  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Beda  White; 
Mrs.  Eliza  Leech  and  her  companion,  Miss  Martineau,  a 
niece  of  the  late  distinguished  authoress,  Harriet  Mar- 
tineau, Mr.  L.  G.  Sharpe  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  Adelle  Shai*pe ; 
Mr.  S.  Coleridge  Taylor  and  his  wife ;  Mr.  L.  Mentzendorif 
and  his  wife,  and  daughter  of  Balham;  Mr.  Henry  J. 
Thrift  and  wife,  Mrs.  Mattie  Lawrence  Thrift,  of  Fair- 
field Lodge,  Croydon  and  many  others;  all  of  whom  we 
still  hold  in  sacred  remembrance  even  should  we  never 
again  meet  them  on  this  earth. 

SCOTLAND 

Through  the  kindly  offices  of  Mr.  S.  J.  Celestin 
Edwards,  a  colored  man,  residing  at  that  time,  in  Lon- 
don, and  publishing  a  small  periodical,  entitled,  'Frater- 
nity; an  arrangement  was  made  by  which  I  was  invited 
to  visit  Scotland,  as  the  guest  of  The  Society  for  the 
Promotion  of  the  Universal  Brotherhood  of  Man.  I  had 

234 


visited  Scotland  before,  but,  only  for  a  brief  sojourn ;  now 
however  was  the  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted 
not  only  with  its  "rocks  and  liils,  its  woods  and  templed 
hills,"  but  with  her  lads  and  lassies  and  her  home  life; 
with  which,  through  the  reading  of  her  literature,  I, 
already  felt,  almost  familiar.  I  doubt  whether  it  comes 
within  the  realm  of  possibility  for  a  person  of  pure  Afri- 
can or  **white"  blood  to  appreciate — understand  the  feel- 
ings of  one  who  has  a  modieum  of  both ;  a  man  who  shares 
equally,  the  blood  of  both  races;  or  who  as  in  some  in- 
stances has  a  preponderance  of  the  blood  of  the  English 
or  Scotchman  leaping  and  bounding  in  his  arteries  and 
yet,  is  ignored,  to  some  extent,  by  both. 

There  is  a  trite  old  saying,  that  "blood  is  thicker  than 
water";  and  I  believe  it  is  eternally  true;  for,  he  cannot 
"hold"  to  the  one  and  despise  the  other,"  as  in  serving 
"God  and  mammon" ;  for,  the  Negro  blood  is  very  strong 
and  will  manifest  itself,  in  some  instances,  unto  the  third 
and  fourth  generation ;  while  of  the  Scotch  English  blood 
it  is  equally  true.  It  does  not  quail  in  the  presence  of  man 
or  beast. 

Is  it  any  wonder  then,  that,  constitued,  by  blood,  as 
this  writer  is,  he  should  feel,  in  Scotland,  as  did  that 
famous  warrior  when  he  exclaimed: 

"Ye  crags  and  cliffs, 

I'm  with  you  once  again!" 

Or  as  that  other  one,  John  Home  who  makes  one  of  his 
characters  to  say: 

"My  name  is  Nerval  on  the  Grampian  hills, 
My  father  feeds  his  flocks." 

I  loved  to  gaze  upon  the  "rock-ribbed"  lands,  as  the  rapid 
tram  whirled  us  through  the  grand  old  country. 

235 


In  my  mind,  I  had  always  associated  Scotland  and 
her  heroes,  to  some  extent,  with  Switzerland  and  her 
freedom  loving  sons;  the  Highlands  and  beautiful  lakes 
of  Scotland,  reminded  me  of  the  mountain  decliveties  of 
the  little  republic,  with  her  splashing,  dashing  water 
falls,  rippling  streams  and  enchanting  blue  lakes.  And, 
who  can  read  of  Wallace  and  Bruce ;  of  the  former,  of  their 
romantic  daring,  astounding  acts  of  heroism,  for  libery, 
and  not  think  of  William  Tell  and  Arnold  Von  Winkelried 
of  the  latter,  who  defied  tyj^ants  and  even  death  itself,  in 
behalf  of  the  same. 

Let  not  my  readers,  however,  imagine,  for  a  moment, 
that  all  my  race  pride  is,  swallowed  up  in  my  admiration 
of  and  love  for  England  and  Scotland ;  for,  unfashionable 
as  it  may  be,  in  some  parts  of  the  world,  at  present,  it 
is,  nevertheless,  historically  and  metaphysically  true; 
the  Negro,  is  descended  from  an  antiquity,  ante-dating 
even  that  of  some  of  our  most  powerful  and  favored  na- 
tions of  the  present  day  and  the  continent  of  Africa  can 
lay  claim  to  a  climate,  in  some  of  its  parts,  and  relics  of 
past  wealth  and  grandeur  which  fill  travelers  with  aston- 
ishment and  awe. 

The  great  Bishop  Heber,  when  he  wrote 


"Where  Afric's  sunny  fountains 
Roll  do\\'n  their  golden  sands," 


realized  a  part  of  this  at  least,  and  who  can  doubt,  that 
when  John  Milton  wrote  these  ravishing  words,  following, 
that,  he  too,  had  Africa  in  mind : 


"Now  gentle  gales, 

Fanning  their  odoriferous  wings  dispense 
Native  perfumes,  and  whisper  whence  they  stole 
Those  balmy  spoils." 

—"Paradise  Lost";  Book  4,  Page  118. 

236 


The  Africans  were  always  brave  in  war;  for  we  read 
in  the  records  of  the  Crusades,  that,  under  one  of  those 
brave  captains,  fighting  for  the  holy  cross,  valorous  deeds 
were  done,  by  his  Negro  troops ;  and  centuries  before  that 
in  Homer's  time,  Virgil  speaks  of  them  as  having  been  in 
the  great  review,  before  the  walls  of  Troy. 

In  Book  1,  line  489,  Virgil  says: 

"Eoas  acies  et  nigri  Memmonis  arma." 

Those  eastern  ranks  and  the  black  arms  of  Memnon : 
and  the  learned  commentator  tells  us  that,  Memnon,  the 
son  of  Tithonus  and  Aurora,  and  nephew  of  Priam,  came 
with  both  Oriental  and  Ethiopian  forces,  to  the  succor 
of  Troy,  and  was  slain  by  Achilles :  and  I  can  never  forget 
the  eloquent  tribute  paid  by  the  late  Senator  Roscoe 
Conkling  of  New  York,  when,  speaking  in  the  Garfield 
campaign,  he  said,  "Their  fathers  fought  and  subdued 
lions  and  tigers,  in  the  forests  of  Africa,  when  our  an- 
cestors were  yet  in  ignorance." 

Of  the  Egyptian  antiquities,  the  oldest  monuments 
show  the  Negro  and  negroid  features.  The  Sphinx,  the 
age  of  which  is  so  far  back  that,  it  has  not  as  yet  been 
ascertained,  has  the  features  of  the  Negro.  One  of  the 
modern  commentators  in  speaking  of  its  nebulous  age, 
says,  the  priests  of  Nera  supposed  it  to  represent  Horus, 
to  hold  up  its  head  and  catch  the  first  light  of  his  father, 
Ra — the  rising  sun. 

In  my  own  native  land,  the  United  States  of  America, 
the  success  of  the  Negro  is  oven  now  puzzling  the  biolo- 
gists; for,  he  not  only  increased  numerically,  while,  for 
two  hundred  and  fifty  years,  he  was  driven,  under  the 
yoke  of  slavery,  but,  since  his  manumission,  v/ithout 
"jewels  of  silver  or  jewels  of  gold,"  he  has  increased  in 
numbers  at  an  alarming  rate,  (to  some  people),  reduced 
his  illiteracy  to  a  minimum,  where  he  has  had  a  fair  op- 

237 


portunity,  voted  for  the  welfare  of  the  repubHc,  and  he- 
roically fought  and  died  for  "Democracy!"  Save  the  mark. 
Unlike  the  Indian,  the  white  man's  civilization  cannot 
kill  him.  On  the  contrary,  he  thrives  in  the  midst  of  it. 
He  has  followed  the  white  man  everywhere,  even  to  the 
top  of  the  earth,  and  it  looks  as  if,  in  the  wisdom  and 
mercy  of  Almighty  God,  the  two  races  are  destined, 
side  by  side,  to  work  out  their  destiny,  upon  this  Ameri- 
can stage  of  action. 

But,  let  us  return  again,  to  Scotland,  the  home  of 
brave  men,  bonnie  lassies,  of  poets,  historians,  philoso- 
phers, theologians  and  humanitarians.  Here  was  the  home 
of  Hume-Maccaulay,  Carlyle,  Livingstone,  Allan  Ramsay, 
John  Knox,  Bobbie  Burns,  James  Boswell,  Sir  Walter 
Scott  and  many  others. 

I  was  met  at  the  station  by  several  members  of  the 
society  in  Edinburgh,  and  escorted  to  No.  5  Malta  Ter- 
race, where  resided  Mrs.  Frances  M.  Saleeby,  the  widow 
of  a  gentleman  who,  when  teaching  in  Syria,  fell — lit- 
erally, from  the  ''house  top,"  and  lost  his  life. 

Mrs.  Saleeby  is  the  mother  of  two  noble  sons — Frank, 
late  deceased,  and  Caleb  W.  Saleeby,  M.  D.  F.  R.  S.  (Edin), 
who  is  the  author  of  several  voluminous  works,  on  medico- 
philosophic  and  biological  subjects,  which  are  read  around 
the  civilized  world. 

In  the  home  of  Mrs.  Salesby,  I  did  not  lack  for  any 
comfort;  the  two  sons,  then  boys,  surrendered  to  my  use 
during  my  stay,  their  own  bed  room;  and  little  Frank 
acted  as  my  guide;  to  make  sure  that  nothing  worthy  of 
notice  escaped  my  attention,  in  the  famous  city;  while 
the  mother,  assisted  by  some  of  her  many  friends,  ar- 
ranged a  series  of  entertainm.ents,  for  my  pleasure  and 
profit. 

My  coming  had  been  heralded,  to  some  extent,  and  a 
meeting  to  be  held  in  the  Carrubbers  Close,  in  the  High 
Street,  almost  contiguous  to  the  old  John  Knox  residence, 

238 


had  been  amply  advertised.  On  the  occasion  of  the  meet- 
ing, I  had  the  honor  of  addressing  a  large  audience  of 
Scotch  men  and  women,  for  the  first  time,  on  their  *'na- 
tive  heath." 

Invitations  to  social  functions  were  numerous,  and 
kept  me  busy.  Amongst  those  who  extended  these 
courtesies  to  me  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sangster  and  family, 
who  had  recently,  returned  to  Great  Britain,  after  an  ab- 
sence of  thirty-five  years  in  government  service,  in  India ; 
it  was  an  intelligent  and  very  interesting  family.  An- 
other was  Mr.  Marshall  and  daughter,  of  4  East  Castle 
Street,  who  gave  me  a  ''Drawing  Room."  That  is  to  say, 
the  parlors  were  furnished  with  chairs,  to  accommodate 
a  numerous  audience  and  a  personage  of  known  promi- 
nence in  the  community  presided. 

When  the  invited  guests  are  all  seated,  the  chairman, 
in  a  few  "well  chosen  words,"  introduces  the  guest  of  the 
occasion;  who,  in  an  address  of  some  thirty  minutes, 
makes  known  his  mission  and  the  causes  sustaining  it. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  speech,  he  answers  such  ques- 
tions as  may  be  propounded  to  him.  Then,  any  brief  com- 
ments are  indulged  in  by  individuals  in  the  audience, 
which  may  seem  apropos ;  after  that,  light  refreshments 
are  partaken  of,  and  the  Drawing  Room  is  ended. 

Mrs.  J.  Miller  of  York  Place,  a  near  relative  of  the 
late  John  Bright,  next  received  me.  It  was  on  the  occa- 
sion of  a  drawing  room  given  in  honor  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Laws,  who,  at  that  time,  had  been  a  missionary  on  the 
west  coast  of  Lake  Nyanza,  for  nineteen  years.  I  spoke, 
by  invitation,  for  ten  minutes,  on  the  subject— "The  Col- 
ored American." 

Mrs.  Miller  is(  or  was,  I  know  not  whether  she  be 
still  living)  the  daughter  of  the  late  Duncan  McLaren, 
who  represented  Edinburgh  for  fifteen  years  in  the  House 
of  Parliament.  His  widow  was  a  sister  of  the  late  John 
Bright;  one  of  Mrs.  Miller's  brothers  as  was  a  Lord  Jus- 

239 


tice  of  Scotland ;  and  another,  Walter  Stowe  Bright ;  Mc- 
Laren, was  in  Parliament. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Pease  Nichol,  of  Huntley  Lodge, 
Napier  Road,  Merchiston,  Edin;  signally  honored  me, 
by  inviting  me  to  call  on  her.  Mrs.  Pease  was,  at  that 
time  eighty-six  years  of  age.  She  was  a  beautiful  elderly 
lady,  with  a  fair  complexion  and  silvery-white  hair;  and, 
was  totally  blind;  but,  with  mental  faculties  quite  un- 
clouded. 

Her  late  husband,  Professor  John  Pringle  Nichol,  was 
associated  with  The  University  of  Glasgow,  for  many 
years;  and  was  famous,  as  an  astronomer;  some  of  the 
treatises  written  on  that  science  being  three  books,  en- 
titled Views  of  the  Architecture  of  the  Heavens,  The 
Stellar  Universe,  and  The  Planetary  System. 

Mrs.  Nichol,  in  her  active  life,  had  been  the  intimate 
acquaintance  and  friend  of  the  late  WilKam  Lloyd  Gar- 
rison, who  was  her  guest,  for  two  weeks,  on  the  occasion 
of  his  visit  to  Scotland.  She  had  two  portraits  of  Mr. 
Garrison,  hanging  on  her  walls;  and,  also  a  marble  bust 
of  him;  and,  even  then,  being  "stone"  blind  and  almost 
ninety  years  of  age,  she  was  in  regular  correspondence 
with  his  sons ;  and  kept  fully  advised  as  to  public  affairs. 

Mrs.  Nichol  was  proud  of  the  fact  that,  both  she  and 
her  husband  had  met  the  great  Irish  patriot,  Daniel 
O'Connell,  on  several  occasion:^;  and  had  travelled  in  the 
same  railway  coach  with  him,  on  one  occasion.  She  stated 
that  O'Connell  v*^as  very  gallant  in  her  company;  and  oc- 
cupied much  of  the  time  in  conversing  with  her.  She 
spoke  of  his  ''sweet  Irish  accent."  I  suggested,  ''brogue," 
but,  she  replied,  "No,  it  was  not  a  brogue — it  was  "a  sweet 
Irish  accent!" 

One  statement  made  by  O'Connell,  during  their  con- 
versation, she  said,  had  made  a  lasting  impression  on  her 
mind — referring  to  capital  punishment;  O'Connell  said 
he  had  always  favored  it;  until,  on  one  occasion,  three 

240 


brothers  were  condemned  and  duly  executed;  although, 
protesting  their  innocence. 

At  the  scaffold,  their  mother  fainted  away,  in  a  dead 
fit;  and  after  the  execution,  it  was  discovered  that  they 
were  innocent.  Frederick  Douglass  and  all  the  great 
American  abolitionists  were  well  known  to  her;  and,  ad- 
mired by  her. 

She  had  two  house  servants  and  a  "maid;"  one  of  the 
servants  had  been  in  her  employ  forty-one  years,  and  was 
treated  as  one  of  the  family ;  the  other  had  been  with  her 
twenty-nine  years,  and  was  held  in  very  high  esteem. 

This  grand  old  lady  was  bitterly  opposed  to  vivisec- 
tion of  dumb  animals  and  all  other  needless  cruelties  to 
them ;  and  she  still  held  in  pleasant  remembrance,  a  faith- 
ful dog,  which,  for  seventeen  years,  was  the  constant  com- 
panion of  herself  and  husband;  his  grave  was  in  her  yard; 
and  a  head-stone  bore  an  inscription,  as  to  his  friendli- 
ness and  fidelity. 

She  has  long  since  gone  to  her  rest;  where,  all  eyes 
are  opened,  and  she  now  sees  her  Lord  and  Master,  "face 
to  face." 

This  story  would  be  singularly  imperfect,  did  it  fail 
to  make  particular  mention  of  Miss  Eliza  Wigham,  of  No. 
4  S.  Gray  Street,  Edin. ;  where  she  had  been  (in  that  iden- 
tical house) ,  from  her  birth,  at  the  time  when  I  first  met 
her — she  was  then  seventy-five;  and,  well  preserved  in 
health. 

Miss  Wigham  informed  me,  that,  in  twenty-five  years, 
she  had  not  suffered  a  day's  sickness.  She  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Society  of  Friends,  Quakers ;  and,  in  conversa- 
tion, she  used  their  accustomed  "thee"  and  "thou." 

Her  sympathies  for  the  poor,  the  afflicted  and  the 
oppressed,  were  as  wide  and  as  deep  as  is  suffering  and 
need  universal ;  the  roll  of  membership  list  of  every  elee- 
mosynary society  and  institution  in  Edinburgh  bore  her 
well  known  name. 

241 


She  had,  through  her  individual  efforts,  estabUshed  a 
"Penny  Banking  and  Depositing  Institution,"  of  which 
she  was  the  sole  coi-porate  existence;  and  the  poor  of  that 
city,  both  adults  and  children,  were  accustomed  to  entrust 
to  her  keeping,  without  any  security  whatever,  their 
small  earnings,  consisting  of  a  few  pennies  each;  and,  in 
some  instances,  even  a  single  penny.  By  so  doing,  in 
time,  each  one  had  a  small  account  with  her,  which  was 
surrendered,  on  demand. 

In  a  single  year,  Miss  Wigham  had  ten  thousand 
transactions,  along  this  line;  of  which  she  kept  a  simple 
account,  without  any  assistance;  often  sitting  up  until 
three  and  four  o'clock  in  the  mci  ning. 

During  the  anti-slavery  agitations,  in  both  England 
and  The  United  States,  she  was  a  great  power  in  behalf 
of  the  oppressed;  and  her  acquaintance  with  all  the  anti- 
slavery  workers  was  very  extended.  Her  library,  which 
was  large  and  well  selected,  contained  in  it,  a  number  of 
books  by  colored  authors,  and  much  information  concern- 
ing Africa  and  its  inhabitants. 

One  of  the  books,  written  by  a  colored  man,  which  I 
scanned,  was  that  of  John  Box  Brown.  I  asked  her  why 
the  author  bore  such  a  unique  name.  She  answered,  that 
he  was  so  dubbed,  because  he  had  escaped  from  slavery, 
nailed  up  in  a  box ;  so,  they  named  him  for  the  box ! 

One  of  her  dearest  associates  and  friends  was  Mrs. 
Patterson,  wife  of  Doctor  Maurice  Patterson  of  7  Hatton 
Place,  Grange,  Edin.  One  son  of  these  distinguished 
people,  Mr.  R.  H.  Patterson  v>^as,  at  that  time,  a  student  at 
law,  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh ;  and  he  was  also  the 
local  secretary  of  The  Society  for  the  Recognition  of  the 
Universal  Brotherhood  of  Man.    When  I  spoke  of  the 

"Whips  and  scorns  of  time, 
The  oppressor's  v/rongr,  the  proud  man's  contumeley, 
The  pangs  of  despised  love,  the  law's  delay, 
The  insolence  of  office  and  the  spurns 
That  patient  merit  of  the  unworthy  takes," 

242 


her  eyes  filled  with  tears,  while  the  others  cried,  *'0,  for 
shame!  for  shame!" 

I  must  not  protract  these  individual  sketches,  tho 
the  temptation  to  do  so  is  great. 

One  of  the  dwellings  I  loved  to  gaze  upon,  at  times, 
was  that  of  Sir  William  Simpson,  the  discovery  of  chloro- 
form, which  all  the  victims  of  the  operating  table  will 
rise  up  and  call,  "blessed." 

In  taking  a  rapid  stroll  through  the  streets  and  sub- 
urbs of  Edinburgh,  the  objects  of  historic  interest  are  so 
numerous  and  interesting  as  to  fill  one  with  astonishment. 
There,  in  the  High  Street,  is  the  former  residence  of  the 
late  John  Knox,  the  inflexible  Presbyterian  preacher  of 
eternal  damnation ;  whose  denunciations  of  sin  caused  the 
unfortunate  Queen  Mary  of  Scotland,  to  tremble;  next 
door,  is  The  Carrubbers  Close,  of  which  I  have  spoken, 
the  Peoples  Temple,  built,  in  the  first  instance,  through 
the  efforts  of  the  late  Dwight  L.  Moodie;  and,  after- 
wards enlarged,  if  I  mistake  not,  through  the  generosity 
of  the  late  Andrew  Carnegie. 

Not  far  removed  from  here,  is  the  grand,  old  church 
of  St.  Giles,  in  which  John  Knox,  more  than  three  hun- 
dred years  ago,  preached.  It  has  undergone  changes  on 
the  interior ;  but,  it  still  maintained  its  original  form  and 
dignity,  on  the  outside.  I  heard  an  able  and  eloquent  ser- 
mon preached  in  this  church,  while  in  Edinburgh. 

In  the  neighborhood,  not  far  removed,  stands  Edin- 
burgh Castle,  now,  unfit  for  m.artial  purposes ;  but,  of  ab- 
sorbing interest,  in  the  light  of  ancestral  days.  What 
most  interested  me  v/as,  not  the  tower,  the  keep  or  the 
antiquated,  big  gun ;  but,  the  cunning  little  dog  cemetery, 
w'here  lie  the  remains  of  a  number  of  dogs,  duly  marked 
with  slabs,  bearing  inscriptions  on  them. 

Down  at  the  other  end  of  the  old  High  Street,  is  Holy 
Rood  Palace,  once  the  home  of  royalty;  but,  now,  only 

243 


a  curious  relic  of  the  past.  In  going  to  the  palace,  one 
passes  through  the  ''Canon  Gate" — so  called,  we  are  told, 
because,  King  David  I,  in  the  twelfth  century,  founded 
the  Abbey  of  Holy  Rood,  and  gave  the  canons  of  the  ab- 
bey the  right  to  build  a  suburb  between  their  church  and 
the  rock  upon  which  stands  the  Castle ;  and  it  is  from  this 
grant  to  the  canons,  that  the  name  of  Canon  Gate  is  de- 
rived. Down,  under  the  high,  steep  rock  on  w^hich  stands 
the  old  castle,  is  the  ''Grass  Market."  Here,  for  a  long, 
long  time  criminals  were  executed;  and,  I  suspect,  some 
who  were  not  criminals.  Many,  for  conscience  sake,  were 
tortured  and  killed,  by  those  who  "verily  believed  that 
they  did  God  service."  It  has  been  the  way  of  the 
world ;  it  is  still  the  way  of  the  world. 

The  ruins,  on  Calton  Hill,  are  a  sight  to  behold.  They 
remind  one  of  the  relics  of  some  former  Greek  or  Roman 
temple.  It  seems  that,  an  effort  was  made,  by  a  past 
generation  of  the  good  people  of  Edinburgh  to  build,  on 
the  summit  of  this  high  hill,  a  monument,  at  once  great 
and  ornamental;  but,  for  some  cause  which  I  did  not 
ascertain,  the  undertaking  fell  through;  and  there,  the 
good  beginnings  still  lie,  in  evidence. 

Arthurs  Seat,  another  high  rocky  hill,  in  the  very 
shadow  of  which  Holy  Rood  Castle  stands,  is  an  object  of 
curiosity;  and  many  young  tourists  climb  to  the  summit 
of  it ;  whence  they  can  view,  not  "all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
earth,"  but,  all  of  Edinburgh  and  much  of  the  surround- 
ing country.  This  writer  "mounted"  it ;  and  was  well  re- 
paid for  the  effort,  by  the  beautiful  and  grand  scenery 
which  confronted  him. 

Returning  to  the  home  of  Mrs.  Saleeby,  my  hostess, 
we  were  abundantly  refreshed  and  entertained  by  gentle 
social  functions;  and  the  hours  sped  rapidly  and  pleas- 
antly. 

One  of  the  objects  attracting  my  attention  and  greatly 

244 


interesting  me  was  a  'Tish  wife"  which  I  will  here  speak 
of  briefly. 

The  fish  wife  is  not  attractive  to  the  eye  of  the  average 
male,  tho,  I  suppose,  in  her  settlement,  she  has  those 
who  admire,  woo,  and  marry  her.  She  is  "short  and  stout" 
in  appearance ;  an  effect  which  is  not  lessened  by  the  fact 
that,  she  wears,  from  eight  to  ten  heavy  woolen  skirts,  as 
we  are  informed  by  the  knowing  ones. 

She  carries  fish  in  a  basket  or  ''creel,"  which,  rests  on 
her  hips,  behind ; — the  bundle  of  clothes,  v/hich  she  wears 
breaks  the  weight  on  her  back  and  protects  her  kidneys. 
The  weight  of  her  load,  at  times,  amounts  to  100  and  150 
pounds.  A  strap  attached  to  the  sides  of  the  creel,  passes 
over  her  forehead;  and,  bending  forward,  she  thus,  sus- 
tains and  carries  the  heavy  load. 

These  hard  working  women  live  together  in  hamlets ; 
and  are  very  exclusive.  They  intermarry;  which  gives 
rise  to  physical  defects  and  malformations,  to  their  dis- 
advantage. We  are  told  that,  the  weight  of  the  loads 
carried  by  them,  flattens  the  pelvis,  and  they  are  de- 
livered with  difficulty. 

The  retina  of  the  eye  is,  to  some  extent,  disorganized ; 
which  is  laid  at  the  door  of  their  marriages,  often  between 
blood  relatives.  The  fishermen,  in  these  settlements,  seem 
to  regard  their  duty  as  being  fully  performed,  when  thej; 
have  landed  the  fish,  and  they  will  stand  and  lean  against 
a  post,  while  the  women  lug  the  heavy  loads  to  the  top  of 
the  bluff.  After  that,  the  women  are  obliged  to  peddle 
the  fish  about  the  town. 

Before  taking  leave  of  Edinburgh,  it  was  suggested 
that  I  visit  the  great  Forth  Bridge ;  and,  also,  run  up  to 
the  thrifty  town  of  Kirkliston,  the  home  of  Rev.  R.  A. 
Lendrum  and  his  talented  and  agreeable  wife ;  and,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  suggestion,  I  accomplished  both  facts. 
The  Forth  Bridge  is  one  of  the  engineering  wonders  of 
the  world;  and  is  well  worth  the  small  time  and  trouble 

245 


required  to  visit  and  behold  it.  It  is  related,  that,  during- 
the  time  of  its  construction,  a  town  was  built  and  inhab- 
ited in  the  vicinage,  where  thousands  of  workmen,  with 
their  families,  in  some  instances,  resided,  until  the  great 
work  was  completed. 

In  order  that  my  readers  may  have  some  conception 
of  the  size  and  nature  of  this  great  structure,  the  follow- 
ing fig-ures  are  given: 

"It  is  a  cantilever  arch  and  truss  bridge,  containing 
two  spans,  each  span  is  1710  feet,  in  the  clear,  or  100  feet 
more  than  the  clear  span  of  the  famous  bridge,  between 
New  York  and  Brooklyn.  The  total  length  of  the  bridge 
is  '8,091  feet,  and  the  center  is  supported  by  Inch  Garvie, 
a  little  island.  The  abutments,  on  Garvie,  consist  of  four 
steel  pillars,  60  feet  in  diameter,  and  sunk  down  to  the 
solid  rock.  The  floor  of  the  bridge  is  150  feet 
above  the  vvater,  and  there  is  a  depth  of  200  feet  of 
water  under  the  center  of  the  great  spans".  This  wonder- 
ful bridge  connects  North  Queensferry  v/ith  South 
Queensferry,  and  is  about  nine  miles  from  Edinburgh. 

At  Kirkliston,  I  was  the  guest  of  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Len- 
drum,  and  was  entertained  at  the  Manse,  which  is  the 
parish  house  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  Mr. 
Lendrum  was  the  pastor. 

Rev.  Lendrum  had  served  a  church  some  where,  in 
the  United  States,  prior  to  my  visit  to  Scotland ;  and  was 
quite  f  amjliar  Vv^ith  conditions  relating  to  us,  colored  peo- 
ple, in  our  native  land.  However,  this  fact  did  not  pre- 
vent either  him  or  his  good  wife  from  treating  me,  in 
every  respect,  like  a  gentleman. 

Mrs.  Lendrum,  in  the  course  of  our  conversations, 
often  refered  to  John  Knox  Bokwe;  she  played  and  sang 
one  or  more  of  his  musical  compositions,  and  gave  re- 
miniscences of  his  conversation,  w^hen,  on  an  occasion, 
he  too,  was  a  guest  at  the  Manse.  Finally  I    asked    her, 

246 


*'of  what  nationality  is  Mr.  Bokwe?"  She  informed  me 
that  he  was  a  Kafir  Negro!  Secretary  to  the  mission  at 
Lovedale,  Cape  Colony,  South  Africa.  Imagine  my  sur- 
prise! From  the  laudations  and  frequent  mention  made 
of  him,  I  had  concluded  that,  he  was  some  white  man  of 
intellectual  and  social  standing.  So  much  for  having  spent 
my  whole  life  in  a  different  social  sphere  of  action. 

The  meeting  at  Kirkliston  was  a  grand  success.  The 
audience  was  large  and  the  display  of  interest  was  reas- 
suring. The  pastor  and  his  wife  maintained  two  servants. 
and  kept  a  beautiful  cozy  home. 

Rev.  and  Mrs.  Lendrum,  to  my  surprise,  expressed  a 
wish  that  I  were  black.  He  remarked,  that,  many  of  the 
Scotch  and  English  young  men  and  women  v/ere  prepar- 
ing for  the  Mission  fields  of  Africa,  and  that,  they  were 
led  into  the  service  by  the  love  of  Christ,  having  no 
further  interest  in  the  Negro.  As  to  the  numbers  of  can- 
didates, I  had  much  information,  for,  when  I  visited 
difi'erent  departments  of  the  great  University  of  Edin- 
burgh I  conversed  with  a  goodly  number  of  the  students, 
of  both  sexes ;  and,  to  my  agreeable  suiprise,  I  found  that 
a  large  percentage  of  them  were  preparing  for  the  Afri- 
can mission  field. 

My  duties  being  performed  now,  in  Edinburgh  and 
vicinity,  I  reluctantly,  took  my  leave  of  the  many  dear 
friends,  within  her  walls,  who  had  done  so  much  for  my 
pleasure  and  instruction;  especially,  m.y  very  dear  friend 
Mrs.  Saleeby — and  her  two  bright  sons.  Little  did  I  sur- 
mise then,  that  later  on — 15  years  later  on,  she  would 
be  domiciled  at  Chaseside  Villa,  Winchmore  Hill,  near 
London,  while  this  writer  and  his  dear  wife,  now  deceased, 
v/ould  be,  temporarily,  in  London ;  and  that,  the  social  re- 
lations between  us  would  be  renewed  and  continued,  down 
to  the  present  date — 27  years  from  our  first  acquaintance.. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 
DUNDEE— ABERDEEN— HUNTLY— GLASGOW. 

It  was  with  a  feeling  akin  to  awe,  that  I  entered  the 
ancient  city  of  Dundee,  Scotland;  for  I  had  often  heard 
a  dear  old  hymn,  called,  ''Old  Dundee,"  sung  in  my  child- 
hood; and,  besides,  a  few  years  previous  to  my  visit,  1 
had  read,  in  far  away  America,  of  the  total  collapse  of  a 
long  railway  bridge,  which  spanned  the  Firth  of  Tay, 
when  a  train,  which  was  crossing  it,  disappeared  from, 
sight;  and  not  one  of  its  human  freight  was  left  to  tell 
the  sad,  sad  story. 

James  Thomson,  Esq.,  LL.  B.,  Solicitor  and  Notary 
Public — a  real  Scotsman, —  a  "right  good  fellow,"  in  the 
fullest  acceptation  of  the  term,  and  as  humanitarian  and 
patriotic  as  any  man  who  walks  God's  green  earth,  met 
me  at  the  station,  and  escorted  me  to  his  handsome  resi- 
dence, carrying  my  satchel  in  his  hand,  a  part  of  the  time. 

I  was  quite  fortunate ;  and  deemed  myself  highly  hon- 
ored, in  meeting  Mrs.  Thomson,  the  talented  and  versatile 
wife  of  Mr.  Thomson,  and  the  Mother  of  two  beautiful 
children,  James  and  a  sister. 

The  day  following  my  arrival,  Mrs.  Thomson  suggest- 
ed, that  we  take  a  stroll  through  the  business  portion  of 
the  city  (in  the  center  of  which,  I  afterwards  learned,  by 
the  way,  her  husband  owned  extensive  holdings) ,  so  that 
she  could  point  out  to  me  the  principal  objects  of  interest, 
including  the  Museum  and  Art  Gallery.  I  suspect,  my  en- 
thusiasm was  not  in  evidence,  to  the  extent  that  she  an- 

248 


ticipated,  whereupon,  she  exclaimed,  ''Senator  Green,  I  am 
afraid  you  do  not  appreciate  my  invitation!"  Of  course, 
I  assured  her,  in  most  positive  terms,  that  the  contrary 
was  true ;  arid  we  sallied  forth  on,  what  proved  to  be  one 
of  the  most  enjoyable  urban  rambles  of  my  whole  life. 
Here  is  an  "aside,"  for  my  American  readers.  The  social 
manners  of  Europe,  and  especially  Scotland,  were  so  at 
variance  with  what  I  had  been  accustomed  to  in  my  na- 
tive land,  that,  frequently,  1  hesitated  for  a  moment, 
until  I  could  make  sure  that  I  was  not  obtruding  myself, 
in  any  respect,  for,  social  intercourse  is  so  absolutely 
predicated  upon  congeniality,  that,  to  push  or  shove  one's 
self  into  a  circle  where  he  is  not  wanted,  is  to  my  mind 
not  only  in  bad  taste,  but,  reprehensible. 

I  found  Dundee  to  be  a  large,  populous  and  wealthy 
city,  with  substantial,  ornamental  buildings,  for  business 
purposes,  as  well  as  for  residential  uses.  The  home  of  my 
guests,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomson,  was  no  exception  to  the 
rule;  and,  while  being  entertained  therein,  I  felt  that  all 
my  efforts,  during  my  life  time,  to  rise  above  the  sad 
condition  in  which  the  failure  and  death  of  our  dear  de- 
ceased father  had  plunged  us,  had  been  cro\vned  with 
success;  and  that,  the  kindly  attentions  of  my  wealthy 
and  refined  entertainers,  was  the  culmination  of  a  full 
fruition,  in  that  behalf. 

In  referring  to  my  memorandum  book,  which  I 
carried  with  me  at  that  time — twenty-seven  years  ago — 
I  find  this  memorandum:  "James  Thomson,  Esq.,  LL.  B., 
Solicitor,  etc.  and  his  good  wife  of  No.  1  Hyndford  Ter- 
race, are  of  the  elite  of  Dundee,  and  are  elegantly  domi- 
ciled, in  an  imposing  stone  masion,  which  contains  all  the 
modern  improvements  and  many  of  the  luxuries  which 
wealth  can  afford.  Mrs.  Thomson  is  an  earnest,  con- 
scientious, Christian  lady,  the  mother  of  two  children, 
a  boy  and  a  girl.  The  foraier,  named  for  his  father,  is 
about  three  years  of  age,  while  the  latter  is  nine  months 

249 


only.  James  is  quite  ''fleshy,"  and  handsome,  but  at 
present,  is  "cabin'd  and  cribbed,",  compelled  to  keep  off 
his  feet,  until  his  bones  harden,  a  little  more.  Everything 
that  broad  minds,  big  hearts,  great  souls  and  good 
breeding  can  suggest,  is  being  done  for  me,  by  these 
kind  people.    I  can  never  repay  them. 

I  may  mention  here,  that,  my  meeting  in  the  evening 
was  a  marked  success;  since,  it  was  presided  over  by 
the  ''provost"  of  the  city,  and  had  the  matchless  services 
of  Mrs.  Margaret  M.  A.  Steele,  of  Shanghai,  Victoria 
Place,  West  Ferry,  Dundee,  in  its  behalf,  who  went  so  far 
as  to  distribute  dodgers,  advertising  the  meeting  in  the 
streets  of  the  city.  Further  comment  would  seem  un- 
necessary. 

James  Thompson,  Junior,  grew  up  to  man's  estate  and 
was  generously  educated,  having  a  diploma  from  one  of 
the  leading  Universities  of  Scotland.  His  specialty  was 
Journalism,  in  which  sphere  of  action  he  was  making 
comm.endable  progress,  as  well  as  in  that  of  public  speak- 
ing, and,  he  bid  fair  to  honor  not  only  his  profession  but 
his  family  and  country,  also. 

Then  came  that  howling  tempest,  the  so-called, 
"World  War." 

"Sonorous  metal  blowing  martial  sounds; 
At  which  the  universal  host  up  sent 
A  shout  that  tore  hell's  concave;  and,  beyond, 
Frightened  the  reign  of  Chaos  and  old  Night." 

— Paradise  Lost,  Line  540. 

***** 

"Oh  dark,  dark,  dark,  amid  the  blaze  of  noon, 
Irrecoverably  dark,  total  eclipse, 
Without  all  hope  of  day!" 

Sampson  Agonistes,  Line  80. 

This  brave,  talented  son  of  Britain,  "went  to  war," 
— for  true  Democracy.  He  gave  all  he  had,  after  being 
commissioned  for  bravery — his  life.  He  did  his  bit. 

"Greater  love  than  this,  hath  no  man." 
250 


At  this  late  day,  it  can  be  said  of  my  dear,  good 
friend,  lSli\  Thomson,  and  his  family : 

Mrs.  Thomson  and  the  family,  are  all  attending  Uni- 
versity classes,  the  eldest  boy  (second  son),  at  Glasgow, 
is  studying  for  the  ministry ;  the  other  two  children  are 
studying  at  the  University  College,  at  Dundee.  All  busily 
engaged  in  making  life  woi-th  living.  Long  life  and 
abundant  prosperity  to  them,  all,  is  my  prayer. 

Perhaps,  I  should  miention  the  fact,  that,  a  few  rods 
from  the  location  of  the  piers  on  which  rested  the  long 
bridge,  which  formerly  spanned  the  Firth  of  Tay,  is  an- 
other mxore  modern  and  stronger.   Down  to  this  writing, 
it  has  withsood  all  the  storms  and  hurricanes  which  have 
assailed  it ;   nor  have  they  been  able  to  prevail  against  it. 
The  au  revoirs  having  been  said,  again  I  am  enroute ; 
this  time  for  the  ''granite  city,"— Aberdeen,  v>^ell  up  to- 
wards the  North  of  Scotland.  It  was  a  delightful  ride, 
that,  through  that  picturesque  highland  country,  v^dth 
its  furze  covered  slopes  and  beloved  thistles,  for  which 
the  land  is  so  noted;  and  there  were  in  evidence,  as  we 
flew  along,  the  uncanny,  but  comfortable  "crofters"  lodges 
with  the  "ben"  in  one  end  and  the  "butt,"  in  the  other) ,  the 
inmates  of  which  can  live  anywhere  else  in  the  world  as 
well  as  in  Scotland,  for,  with  the  payment  of  five  dollars 
per  annum  for  an  acre  of  land,  which  must  be  "stoned," 
just  as  peaches  or  cherries  are  "stoned,"  before  a  crop 
of  turnips  or  oats  can  be  produced  on  it,  if  they  can  pro- 
cure the  necessities  of  life,  to  say  nothing  of  the  com- 
forts and  luxuries,  they  can  live  and  thrive  anywhere. 

The  turnip  crop  insures  abundance  of  food  for  the 
fine  sheep  to  nibble  at,  which  foretells  a  good  crop  of  wool 
for  the  world  reputed  Scotch  tweeds  and  other  valu- 
able cloths,  guaranteed  to  be  "all  wool  and  a  yard  wide". 
Then,  too,  I  am  informed  that,  occasionally,  the  turnip 
is  not  to  be  despised  as  an  article  of  food  for  the  table, 
when  properly  cooked;    and    the    marmalade    factories 

251 


which  give  remunerative  employment  to  hosts  of  pretty 
lassies,  in  Aberdeen  and  elsewhere,  claim  a  goodly  por- 
tion of  them. 

As  for  the  oats,  who,  that  knows  Scotland,  can  be  at 
a  loss  as  to  the  use  made  of  them!  I  know  of  but  one 
other  staple  food  in  the  world,  that  is  served,  as  food,  in 
as  many  different  ways  as  oats  are,  in  this  happy,  content- 
ed land.  I  refer  to  the  maccaroni  of  the  Italians,  for,  I 
have  eaten  and  seen  this  delicious  dish,  not  only  served 
as  stews  and  fries  and  what  not,  on  the  table,  but  also, 
wrapped  in  gilded  and  decorated  paper,  and  exposed  for 
sale  as  a  delicacy,  on  the  shelves  and  counters  of  the 
confectioner. 

Ere  long  the  train,  which  had  lost  no  time,  drew  into 
the  depot,  and  the  pleasing  call  of  "Aberdeen!"  saluted 
our  ears.  In  waiting,  and  expectant,  was  Dr.  George  Fer- 
dinands, an  occulist  by  profession,  and  friend  and  adviser 
to  the  late  Mrs.  Isabella  Fyvie  Mayo;  who,  during  her 
lifetime,  under  the  nom  de  plume  of  "Edv/ard  Garrett," 
gave  to  the  reading  world  a  series  of  about  thirty-five 
volumes  of  stories. 

At  the  home  of  Mrs.  Mayo,  whose  guest  I  was,  a 
hearty  welcome  was  extended  to  me,  and  great  good 
cheer  was  my  portion.  While  my  hostess  did,  in  every 
consistent  way,  what  she  could  to  make  my  Aberdonian 
visit  a  success,  it  is  to  Doctor  Ferdinands  my  gratitude 
is  principally  due,  for  many  hours  of  his  precious  time, 
consecrated  to  my  happiness  and  benefit. 

Introductions  to  the  late  John  Leith,  Esq.,  a  heavy 
manufacturer  of  Scotch  tweeds  and  other  clothiis,  and 
who,  by  the  way,  out  of  his  abundance,  financed  my  trip 
to  Aberdeen  and  promoted  the  successful  meetings  which 
I  addressed,  while  in  that  beautifully  quaint  city,  I  say 
quaint ;  yes,  for  not  only  were  the  warehouses  and  dwell- 
ings built  of  granite — closely  resembling  our  "quincy" 
granite,  but  even  the  out-houses,  for  the  use  of  the  cattle 

252 


and  poultry,  were  constructed  of  the  same,  which  gave  to 
the  city  not  only  the  appearance  of  solidity,  but,  of  thrift 
both  of  which  were  in  accordance  with  fact. 

Then  there  were  Rev.  Mr.  Mackay,  prominent  in 
church  and  every  helpful  endeavor,  and  Rev.  Mr.  Duncan, 
an  elderly,  yet  very  eloquent  speaker.  Rev.  Mr.  Mackay 
in  the  course  of  his  remarks,  at  the  rDawing  Room,  which 
was  given  in  my  honor  at  the  home  of  Mr.  John  Leith, 
where  there  were  many  invited  guests,  said — that,  he 
had  been  informed,  that,  in  the  East,  v/hen  a  v/hite  wo- 
man marries  a  native  or  black  man,  she  is  socially  ta- 
booed and  pricked  with  bodkins,  by  her  white  sisters ;  sent 
into  ''Coventry,"  so  to  speak.This  occasioned  apparently 
considerable  surprise ;  considering  that,  the  Orientals  are 
so  thoroughly  mixed  with  the  African  blood,  and  so  many 
representatives  of  the  race  are  still  to  be  found  in  the 
harems  of  the  sultans  and  others,  in  both  Turkey  and 
Arabia.  But  not  one  word  reflecting  on  the  colored  race 
was  uttered. 

Mrs.  Mayo,  proved  herself  to  be  quite  a  story-teller; 
which,  by  the  way,  I  noticed  to  be  one  of  the  pleasing 
characteristics  of  the  Scotch  people,  w^herever  I  went. 
Here  is  one  which  I  regard  as  being  full  of  humor  as  well 
as  suggestive  of  the  rugged  life  of  the  remote  Highlander. 
A  guest,  traveling  in  the  Highlands,  was,  suddenly  taken 
seriously  ill,  and  requested  the  services  of  a  physician. 
Whereupon,  she  was  informed  that,  the  nearest  doctor 
resided  at  a  distance  of  seventeen  miles.  "Why,  how  in- 
convenient and  dangerous  that  is,"  she  answered.  ''What 
do  you  do  in  an  emergency,  when  one's  life  is  imperilled?" 

"Well,"  the  maid  replied,  "we  jest  have  ter  dee  a 
nacheral  deeth!" 

Another  of  Mrs.  Mayo's  stories,  which  I  subsequently 
found  in  Dean  Ramsey's  book  of  Scotch  stories,  is,  in 
substance  as  follows :  A  Scottish  lad  experienced  so  much 
embarrassment  in  "popping  the  question,"  that,  he  took 

253 


his  sweetheart  to  the  family  lot  in  the  ancient  cemetery; 
and,  while  standing  with  her  by  the  graves  of  his  ances- 
tors, he  significantly,  said:  "Jennie,  how  Vv'ad  ye  like  ter 
hae  the  richt  ter  lie  there?" 

Also,  the  following  story  seems  quaint  and  full  of 
quiet  humor.  A  young  man  went  with  his  ''intended,"  to 
the  minister,  for  the  purpose  of  getting  married,  but, 
once  there,  he  refused  to  permit  the  "knot"  to  be  tied, 
"because,  he  said,  he  had  taken  a  "scunner"  to  his  "in- 
tended."  Subsequently,  they  went  again  to  the  parson, 
for  the  same  purpose;  but  no  nuptials  were  celebrated, 
for  the  reason  that,  she  had  taken  a  "scunner"  to  the 
man.  A  third  time  they  appeared  before  the  man-of-God ; 
but  the  marriage  failed,  because,  he  himself,  had  taken  a 
"scunner  to  both  of  them!" 

Before  leaving  Aberdeen,  Mr.  John  Leith  invited  me 
to  speak,  on  Sunday,  at  the  P.  S.  A. — Pleasant  Sunday 
Afternoon,  of  which  he  w^as  the  Superintendent,  and  to 
a  great  extent  the  soul.  This  was  one  of  the  most  pleasing- 
functions  of  my  entire  visit  to  Aberdeen;  for,  not  only 
large  numbers  of  children  and  sweet-faced  youths  were 
in  attendance,  filling  the  big  auditorium  to  repletion,  but, 
also  there  was  sw^eet  music  rendered,  both  vocal  and 
instrumental,  which  carried  one's  mind  Heavenward.  1 
heard  for  the  first  time,  the  musical  rendition  of  Tenny- 
son's beautiful  verses,  beginning,  "Twilight  and  Evening 
Star,"  by  a  quartette,  of  which  Mr.  Leith's  talented  and 
useful  daughter  was  one.  Her  deep,  rich  and  resonant  con- 
tralto v*^as  the  chief  feature  of  the  rendition  and  I  can 
never  forget  it. 

I  am  loth  to  conclude  this  brief  notice  of  Mr.  Leith 
and  his  family,  without  recording  a  beautiful  legend  of 
the  Christ,  w^hich  he  related  with  telling  effect;  this  leg- 
end is  said  to  have  been  found  amongst  some  ancient 
documents,  in  the  year  1903. 

"It  happened  that  the  Lord  went  forth  and  walked 

254 


with  his  disciples  over  the  mountains.  They  came  to  a 
mountain,  and  the  road  which  led  to  it  was  steep.  There 
they  found  a  man  with  a  sumpter-mule.  (That  is  a  mule 
which  carries  necessaries  for  a  journey).  But  the  animal 
had  fallen,  for  the  burden  was  too  heavy,  and  he  beat  it 
so  that  it  bled.  And  Jesus  came  to  him  and  said,  ''Man, 
why  dost  thou  beat  thy  animal?  Seest  thou  not  that  it  is 
too  weak  for  its  burden,  and  knowest  thou  not  that  it 
suffers  pain?"  'What  is  that  to  you?  I  can  beat  it  as  much 
as  I  please,  seeing  that. I  own  it;  and,  I  bought  it  for  a 
good  sum  of  money."  ''  *  *  ''Do  you  not  notice  how  it 
bleeds,  and  hear  you  not  how  it  laments  and  cries?"  re- 
phed  Jesus.  ''Nay,  Lord,"  was  the  answer,  "w^e  hear  not 
how  it  laments  and  cries."  And  the  Lord  was  sad;  and, 
exclaimed,  "Woe  to  you,  that  ye  hear  not  how  it  complains 
to  the  Creator  in  Heaven,  and  cries  for  mercy ;  but  three 
times  vvoe  to  him  of  whom  it  complains  and  cries  in  dis- 
tress!" And  he  came  forth  and  touched  the  animal,  and 
it  rose ;  and  it  wounds  were  healed,  and  Jesus  said  to  the 
man,  "Now,  go  on,  and  beat  it  no  more,  that  you,  also, 
may  find  mercy". 

However,  my  appointment  for  Huntly,  far  north,  in 
Scotland,  demanded  my  departure;  and,  ere  long,  with 
my  dear,  new-macfe  friend  Dr.  George  Ferdinands,  by  my 
side,  we  w^ere  enroute  to  that  ancient  home  of  the  Gor- 
dons, noted  in  history,  story  and  song,  for  deeds  com- 
mendable  and  the  reverse.  To  attempt  to  recall  any  of  the 
deeds  of  the  earls  and  lords  of  Gordon,  w^ould  be  tiresome 
to  the  reader;  and  reference  must  be  made  by  the 
reader,  to — Humxe,  Micaulay,  Froude,  Lingard,  Green  or 
Dickens'  histories  of  England,  for  full  information. 
Enough  to  say  that  old  Gordon  Castle,  imposing  and 
strong,  is  still  standing  in  the  suburbs  of  Huntly;  which 
probably,  had  its  origin  from  the  presence  of  the  Castle 
and  its  titled  inmates,  dating  from  the  year,  1603. 

In  Huntley,  we  were  the  guests  of  Rev.  and    Mrs. 

255 


Templeton,  who  were  both  of  the  social  eUte,  educated 
and  respected.  My  lecture  was  delivered  in  the  Kirk,  over 
which  Mr.  Templeton  presided,  with  dignity  and  satis- 
faction. The  attendance  was  large  and  the  spirit  of  liberty 
manifested,  was  in  keeping  with  the  well-  known  Scotch 
character. 

Amongst  those  present,  of  especial  note,  were  Mr. 
William  Simpson  and  his  good  wife.  Mr.  Simpson  was  the 
proprietor  of  the  book  store  of  the  town;  which  seem'd 
to  be  well  stocked  with  modern  and  rare  books.  A  typical 
Scotsman,  really  it  is  worth  the  price  of  the  trip  to  the 
Highlands,  if  only  to  meet  with  representatives  of  this 
brave  picturesque  people.  I  can  never  forget,  my  first 
night  spent  in  Edinburgh;  when,  I  saw  and  heard,  in 
the  Market  Place,  almost  under  the  shadow  of  the  Scott 
Monument,  a  numerous  band  (?)  or  should  I  say  "clan" 
of  bag-pipers!  This  certainly  was  an  experience  which 
ought  to  have  made  the  ''canonized  bones"  of  Sir  Walter 
Scott,"  hearsed  in  death,  *  *  burst  their  cerements,"  for 
joy;  for,  the  like  of  it  I  never  expect  to  hear  again. 

On  the  day  following  my  lecture,  in  Huntley,  Doctor 
Ferdinands,  chaperoned  by  Miss  Annie  Bennett,  a  pretty 
and  lovable  Scottish  lassie,  conducted  me  to  the  ruins  (?) 
of  Gordon  Castle;  which,  as  regards  the  exterior,  cannot 
be  called  "ruins".  As  to  the  interior,  the  walls  were  cold 
and  bare,  *'No  light  no  fire." 

"Cold  on  the  hearth  the  last  faint  spark  had  expired." 

Dean  Ramsay  tells  a  humorous  and  suggestive  story, 
which  carries  us  back  to  the  last  Duke  of  Gordon,  and 
proves  that  conditions  in  the  old  castle  were  never  com- 
fortable in  accordance  with  our  modern,  civilized  iden. 
David  Tullach,  tenant  in  Drumbenan,  under  the  second 
and  third  Dukes  of  Gordon,  had  been  "out"  in  the  45  or 
the  loth,  or  both,  and  was  a  great  favorite  of  his  respec- 
tive landlords.  One  day,  David,  having  attended  the  youn^ 
lady,  Susan  Gordon  (afterwards  Duchess  of  Manchester) 

256 


to  the  ''Chapel"  at  Huntly,  David,  perceiving  that  her 
ladyship  had  neither  hassock  or  carpet  to  protect  her 
garments  from  the  earthen  floor,  respectfully  spread  his 
plaid,  for  the  young  lady  to  kneel  upon,  and  the  sei-vice 
proceeded;  but  when  the  prayer  for  the  King  and  Royal 
Family  was  commenced,  David,  unceremoniously,  drew, 
or  rather  "twitched"  the  plaid  from  under  the  knees  of  the 
astonished  lady,  exclaiming,  "The  diel  a  one  shall  pray 
for  them  on  my  plaid!" 

Down,  by  the  foundation  of  the  Castle,  dashes  and 
splashes  a  clear  rippling  brook,  spanned  by  a  stone  arch, 
over  which  we  passed,  to  the  other  side.  Suddenly,  I 
missed  the  Doctor's  lively  companion;  but,  only  for  a 
moment;  for,  quicker  than  I  can  write  this  story,  she 
appeared  again,  bearing  in  her  hands  a  bunch  of  pretty 
wild  flowers,  which  were  growing  almost  on  the  edge  of 
the  crystal  stream.  With  all  the  grace  of  another  Hebe  of 
classic  fame,  she  presented  them  to  this  writer,  as  a 
token  of  the  good  wishes  of  herself  and  the  friends,  for 
the  cause  which,  I,  in  some  sense,  represented.  For  many 
years,  I  kept  them;  and,  it  may  be,  that,  to  this  day, 
they  are  tucked  in  one  of  my  packages,  souvenirs  of  that 
eventful  trip. 

But,  "time  and  tide  wait  for  no  man!"  we  had  to 
leave.  I  felt  sure  that  the  doctor  was  counting  the  min- 
utes,— aye — the  hours. 

On  the  day  following  our  return  to  Aberdeen,  I  bade 
a  fond  and  loving  adieu  to  the  good  friends,  who  had 
added  so  much  of  pleasure  to  my  life,  and  turned  my 
face  in  the  direction  that  great  hive  of  industry — Glas- 
gow, where  the  wonderful  "steel  leviathans"  are  built, 
which  plow  the  seas,  in  all  sections  and  climes  of  the 
habitable  globe. 

Enroute,  a  repetition  of  mountain  and  vale  and 
lake  and  rippling  stream,  and  nibbling  flocks  and  herds 
were  inevidence;  and  old  "Benachie,"  a  veritable  "storm- 

257 


king,"  reared  his  snow-capped  head  to  kiss  the  clouds. 
And  much  more  of  this.  Finally,  after  hours  of  diversion 
the  tallest  spires,  then  the  highest  buildings,  and  after 
that,  the  dwelling  houses  of  the  great  city  could  be  dis- 
cerned, and,  behold,  we  were  in  the  midst  of  the  great 
city  on  the  River  Clyde. 

At  the  station,  in  waiting  .to  receive  me,  w^as  Mr.  Wil' 
liam  G.  Smeal,  of  Monteith  Row.  A  gentleman  of  culture 
and  large  means,  wlio  had  as  his  business  the  wholesale 
importation  of  teas.  Mr.  Smeal  and  his  interesting  family 
were  elegantly  domiciled,  and,  in  other  respects,  gave 
evidence  of  being  one  of  the  foremost  social  factors  of 
Glasgow. 

Mrs.  Smeal  was  somewhat  deaf,  and  expressed  some 
fear  that,  I  w^ould  be  unable  to  speak  loud  enough  for 
her  to  hear  me,  at  the  meeting  which  was  scheduled  for 
the  following  evening.  I  am  pleased  to  record  here,  that, 
after  the  meeting,  she  exclaimed  wdth  every  appearance 
of  pleasure,  "Mr.  Green,  I  heard  every  word  you  said!"  My 
pleasure  was  reciprocal,  for,  they  both  exerted  themselves 
to  make  my  stay  in  the  city  pleasant  and  instructive. 

Mr.  Smeal  was  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  anti- 
slavery  spirit,  and  from  his  conversations,  he  was  a  man 
who  had  drunk  deep  at  the  same  fountain  where  our  im- 
mortal Jefferson  had  quenched  his  thirst,  for  the  prin- 
ciples of  liberty  and  manhood  rights.  Later  on,  after  my 
return  to  the  United  States,  he  mailed  to  me  a  little 
book,  ancient  in  appearance,  w^hicE  contained  the  Report 
of  the  House  of  Commons  on  the  African  Slave  Trade.  It 
is  the  only  one  I  have  ever  seen;  and  since  it  was  pub- 
lished in  the  latter  part  of  the  18th  Century,  I  suspect 
it  is  rarely  met  with. 

During  the  following  day,  Mr.  Smeal,  dedicated  most 
of  his  valuable  time  to  showing  me  the  vast  plants  for 
the  building  of  ocean  ships  and  their  furnishings, 
which  I  viewed  with  a  degree  of  astonishment  akin  to 

258 


awe,  and  afterwards,  he  escorted  me  to  the  ancient  Cath- 
edral, and  conducting  me  to  the  basement  or  crypt,  he 
pointed  out  the  identical  pillar  behind  which,  tradition 
informs  us,  Rob  Roy,  Sir  Walter  Scott's  interesting  bor- 
der highwayman,  concealed  himself  when  he  found  that, 
''discretion  was  the  better  part  of  valor." 

In  passing  through  the  humble  parts  of  Glasgow, 
the  inordinate  use  of  spiritous  liquors  was  easily  appar- 
ent ;  even  the  women,  who,  in  some  sections  thronged  the 
back  streets,  showed  unmistakable  signs  of  intoxication. 
These  women,  in  many  instances,  carried  babies  on  their 
back,  secured  by  the  close-drawn  folds  of  their  shawls. 
It  was  a  sorry  spectacle  which  made  a  lasting  impres- 
sion on  my  mind,  which  the  lapse  of  twenty-seven  years 
has  not  obliterated.  Some  of  the  little  ones  who  ''toddled" 
by  the  side  of  their  neglectful  mothers,  presented  a  spec- 
tacle which  was,  by  no  means,  re-assuring,  for,  in  numer- 
ous instances,  they  were  malformed  by  the  "rickets," 
or  some  other  sign  of  physical  degeneracy. 

After  a  pleasant  visit  of  some  forty-eight  hours,  I 
turned  my  face,  once  more  in  the  direction  of  Liveipool, 
where  I  duly,  arrived,  and,  without  the  loss  of  much  time, 
returned  to  the  great  metropolis — London,  the  capital 
of  the  great  British  Empire,  he  greatest  empire  of  which 
we  have  heard  or  read.  Upon  the  whole  of  which,  the  sun 
never  sets.  Great  in  territory,  great  in  population,  won- 
derful in  resources  and  wealth ;  which  rules  on  sea  as  well 
as  on  land;  and  whose  fall,  if  it  is  ever  ordained  to  be, 
will  overwhelm  many  more  than  those  now  under  the 
Aegis  of  her  government. 


259 


CHAPTER  XIV 

WILLIAM  MCKINLEY. 

Elsewhere  in  this  narrative,  I  have  spoken  of  our 
great  and  good  martyr — President  William  McKinley; 
and  my  manner  of  speaking  of  him  is  such  as  to  suggest 
that  I  considered  him  a  personal  friend.  Now,  I  would 
not  have  anyone  infer  from  any  or  all  of  my  statements, 
that,  the  relations  between  either  Governor  McKinley  or 
President  McKinley  and  me  were  other  than  what  might 
reasonably  be  expected  between  two  men  closely  allied  in 
the  political  arena.  As  for  instance,  when  McKinley  was 
Governor  of  Ohio,  I  was  a  senator,  consent  in  ;^  to  and 
confirming  all  of  his  appointments;  and  when  he  was 
President,  I  was  at  the  head  of  a  bureau,  under  his  ad- 
ministration, by  his  appointment ;  so  that,  great,  big  man 
as  he  was,  he  never  dodged  me  or  turned  his  back  to  me ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  seemed  to  admire  my  efforts  to  rise 
and  lent  me  (as  many  another)  his  countenance  and 
support. 

To  know  McKinley  was  to  admire  and  love  him.  He 
was  so  courteous  and  kind,  gentle,  unassuming,  sincere, 
earnest  and  able,  withal,  that,  he  won  his  way  into  the 
hearts  of  even  those  whom  he,  politically  opposed.  And 
it  was  said,  during  his  life  time,  he  could  send  a  man, 
whom  he  had  refused  away  from  his  presence,  without 
malice  towards  him  and  cheerful. 

260 


Here  is  a  characteristic  incident  in  his  political  career 
which  tends  to  sustain  my  foregoing  view  of  him. 

Walking  around  the  north  side  of  the  Capitol  building 
one  morning,  during  my  term  in  the  Senate,  I  met  Gov- 
ernor McKinley,  "face  to  face."  I  raised  my  hat  and  ex- 
claimed: ''Good  morning!  How  is  my  Governor  this 
morning?" 

With  all  the  urbanity  of  George  Washington,  who  sa- 
luted a  poor  Negro  who  bowed  to  him,  (because,  as  he 
said,  he  v/ould  not  allow  a  Negro  slave  to  exceed  him  in 
politeness),  the  Governor  answered:  "Quite  w^ell;  how 
is  my  Senator,  this  morning?" 

On  another  occasion,  when  he  was  reviewing  a  great 
torchlight  procession,  from  the  upper  balcony  of  the  old 
Tod  House  of  Youngstown,  which  was  a  demonstration 
solely  in  his  honor,  he  invited  me  to  stand  by  his  side, 
while  the  procession  was  passing ;  and  afterwards,  sat  on 
the  stage  in  the  old  rink,  in  the  same  city,  and  listened  to 
me  speak  in  behalf  of  a  protective  tariff!  What  greater 
condescension  could  there  be  than  that?  William  Mc- 
Kinley, chairman  of  the  Ways  and  Means  Committee,  and 
author  of  the  great  McKinley  Protective  tariff  law,  listen- 
ing to  an  alleged  argument,  on  the  same  subject,  proceed- 
ing from  the  lips  of  a  colored  man — in  the  United  States ! 

On  another  occasion,  while  I  was  employed  in  Wash- 
ington, the  President  was  the  invited  guest  of  the  late 
President  J.  E.  Rankin  of  Howard  University,  of  the  same 
city,  and  the  Faculty  of  the  same,  on  the  occasion  of  the 
graduating  exercises  of  the  class  of  the  Law  Depart- 
ment. 

It  happened  that,  this  writer  was  also  invited  to  ad- 
dress the  graduating  class,  on  the  same  memorable  occa- 
sion; and,  being  upon  the  platform,  was  seated  on  one 
side  of  Doctor  Rankin,  while  the  President  was  seated  on 
the  other  side  of  him.  The  President  was  very  gracious  and 
kindly  in  his  entire  demeanor,  on  this  occasion;  and,  aft- 

261 


er  I  finished  my  address  to  the  graduating  class,  he 
reached  his  right  arm  around  the  back  of  Pres.  Rankin, 
gi'asped  my  hand  and  congratulated  me — in  no  uncertain 
manner. 

I  am  sure  that  the  President  was  a  true  disciple  of 
that  political  school  of  philosophy,  the  underlying  prin- 
ciple of  which  is,  ''Alvv^ays  stand  by  your  friends!" 

During  the  contest  for  the  presidency,  the  colored 
speakers  were  invited  and  sent  out  into  the  country  at 
large,  by  a  committee  of  colored  men  at  Chicago.  I  was 
well  known  to  the  chairman  of  that  committee,  between 
whom  and  me  existed,  as  I  supposed,  friendly  relations; 
hence,  I  was  greatly  surprised  as  the  contest  waxed 
warm,  to  find  that  he  had  completely  ignored  me,  while 
he  had  used  his  station  to  "pick  and  choose,"  many  per- 
sons, scarcely  known,  and  had  sent  them  out  to  "spell- 
bind" the  voters. 

These  facts  coming  to  the  attention  of  Mr.  McKinley, 
he  immediately  wired  to  Mr.  William  Hahn,  at  headquar- 
ters, commanding  him  to,  "Send  out  Mr.  Green;  see  that 
he  is  well  cared  for!"  I  had  no  trouble  after  that;  the 
eyes  of  the  colored  committee  were  opened;  and,  under 
the  wing  of  Colonel  Kerens,  at  St.  Louis,  I  not  only 
stumped  Missouri,  from  St.  Charles  and  Moberly,  on  the 
East,  to  Kansas  City,  on  the  West,  but,  I  also  addressed 
one  of  the  noon-day  business  men's  meetings  of  St.  Louis, 
and  Chicago.  A  few  stories,  relative  to  my  experiences 
in  "stumping,  may  be  of  interest  to  some  of  the  younger 
portion  of  my  readers. 

The  first,  relates  to  my  experiences  in  a  town  of  Mis- 
souri, during  the  first  McKinley  campaign. 

The  National  Committee  assigned  me  to  speak  in  a 
large  town  or  small  city,  located  in  Central  Missouri. 
When  I  reached  the  place,  I  was  informed  that  no  notice 
of  the  meeting  had  been  given  to  the  local  Republican 
Committee;  but,  that,  the  only  large  hall  available  had 

262 


been  engaged  for  a  night  meeting,  to  be  addressed  by  a 
very  distinguished  gentleman,  who  was  also  stumping 
for  the  G.  0.  P. 

In  this  contingency,  I  inquired  of  the  local  commit- 
tee, whether  I  might  have  the  use  of  the  hall  during  the 
afternoon  of  that  day,  provided  I  could  secure  the  attend- 
ance of  an  audience;  and  receiving  an  affirmative  an- 
swer, I  immediately  began  to  insure  an  audience. 

My  first  move  was  to  have  500  "Dodgers"  rushed, 
proclaiming  the  presence  in  the  city  of  a  ''colored  sena- 
tor, from  Ohio,  who  would  speak  at  3  p.  m."  I  paid  two 
boys  to  leave  one  of  these  dodgers  in  the  hands  of  every 
person  except  one;  which,  I  may  say,  was  done,  in  good 
faith.  The  next  move  was  to  have  a  man  display  a  pla- 
card, to  the  same  effect,  through  all  the  downtown  streets.^ 
ringing  a  bell,  in  the  meantime. 

Needless  to  say,  at  my  afternoon  meeting  I  had  an 
attentive  audience,  largely  white,  which  tested  the  capac- 
ity of  the  hall.  And,  by  general  request,  at  the  night 
meeting,  I  divided  the  time  with  the  distinguished  gentle- 
man, much  to  his  satisfaction. 

Another  experience,  which  I  deem  worthy  of  notice 
was  incidental  to  my  West  Virginia  stumping  tour  during 
the  same  campaign. 

I  was  enroute  to  the  pretty  town  of  Moorefield,  West 
Virginia,  the  county  seat  of  Hardy  county,  nestled 
amongst  the  foot-hills  of  the  Allegheny  Mountains,  twenty 
miles  distant  from  Romney,  which  was  a  town  of  some 
importance. 

Green  Springs,  eight  or  ten  miles  distant  from  Rom-, 
ney,  was  the  nearest  station  on  the  B.  &  0.  Raihvay,  be- 
tween which  and  Romney  ran  occasionally  a  railway  car 
for  the  accommodation  of  all.  Sad  to  relate,  I  was  com- 
pelled to  wait  five  and  a  half  (5  1-2)  hours,  at  the  station 
for  the  "train"  for  Romney!  As  I,  at  that  time,  wore  -^ 

263 


silk  hat  and  Prince  Albeii;  coat,  I  was,  at  that  place,  easily 
the  cynosure  of  the  few  eyes  which  beheld  me. 

A  hardy  mountaineer  approached  me,  when  the  fol- 
lowing colloquy  ensued: 

Native:  **Aint  you  the  man  who'se  goin'  ter  Mo-fiel 
(meaning  Moorefield)  ter  talk  ter  our  N'g — s?" 

The  writer:  *'I  am  on  my  way  to  Moorefield  to  dehver 
a  political  address,  to  all  who  wish  to  listen  to  it." 

Native:  'Well,  ain't  you  afeerd  to  go  thar  and  talk  ter 
our  N'g — s?  We  ain't  in  the  habit  of  havin'  our  N'g — s 
interfeered  with,  by  strangers!" 

The  writer:  "No,  I  am  not  afraid.  And  I  am  going  to 
speak  there.  If  I  am  ill-treated  the  whole  country  will 
know  about  it;  for  I  am  a  senator  of  the  State  of  Ohio!" 

Native:  "All  right — stranger;  go  er  hed.  You  know  yer 
biznis — ^perhaps,  better'n  I  do!" 

So  saying,  we  separated.  He  to  go  his  way.  I,  for 
Romney  and  Moorefield,  twenty  miles  distant,  beyond  a 
deep  mountain  gap.  When  we,  with  our  "horse  and  bug- 
gy," which,  with  the  driver,  I  had  hired  in  Pwomney,  drove 
into  Moorefield,  my  silk  "tile"  was  as  yellow  as  the  dust 
of  the  mountain  road;  and,  as  for  the  remainder  of  my 
apparel,  it  was  difficult  to  tell  what  it  was  made  of. 

Mr.  John  N.  Judy,  Postmaster  and  sole  white  repub- 
lican in  the  corporate  limits,  received  me;  and,  after  a 
short  conversation,  he  turned  me  over  to  Mr.  George  W. 
Strauther,  late  deceased,  the  colored  teacher  of  the  col- 
ored school  of  the  town,  who  escorted  me  to  his  cozy 
home;  where  he  and  his  beautiful  and  intelligent  wife, 
gave  me  a  royal  welcome,  until  I  left  the  town,  on  the 
follov/ing  morning. 

,  I  was  informed  by  my  host  and  hostess,  that,  the 
native  white  politicians  of  the  town  had  threatened  to 
give  me  trouble  if  I  attempted  to  speak  in  Moorefield; 
"but,"  said  Mrs.  Strauther,  "Don't  fear,  Mr.  Green.  I  will 
go  to  the  Court  house  (where  the  meeting  was  held)  with 

264 


you;  and,  if  they  harm  you  they  will  have  to  harm  me, 

too." 

We  sallied  forth,  at  the  appointed  time.  The  Court 
room  was  filled,  packed,  galleries  and  all.  The  whites  and 
the  colored  occupying  opposite  sides  of  the  large  room. 

My  address  was  largely  on  economic  subjects  and  coun- 
selled friendly  relations  between  the  two  races,  which  all 
seemed  to  approve.  But  once  in  a  while,  notwithstanding, 
as  if  to  punctuate  the  applause,  which  was  frequent  and 
hearty,  ''buckshot"  were  showered  on  the  heads  of  my 
colored  auditors,  who  sat  on  the  first  floor.  It  was  sad 
and  disgraceful  to  see  my  dear  "hearers"  rubbing  their 
heads.  Yet,  despite  my  efforts  (for  a  wonder)  I  did  not 
cry;  but  smiled,  almost  audibly. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1893,  when  making  a  brief  so- 
journ in  the  City  of  Venice,  Italy,  I  visited  the  famous 
Piazza  St.  Marco,  and,  in  addition,  the  great  Cathedral 
of  Saint  Marc,  The  Doge's  Palace  and  the  original  Cam- 
panile Tower,  now  replaced  by  another  since  its  collapse. 

I  became  so  greatly  interested  in  the  wonderful  bric- 
a-brac  establishment  of  the  Testolini  Bros.,  that  I  sought 
a  meeting  with,  and  was  introduced  to  one  of  the  firm. 
He  was  quite  entertaining  and  gave  me  much  informa- 
tion pertaining  to  their  wonderful  wares. 

Abruptly,  somewhat,  in  the  course  of  our  conversa- 
tion (for  he  spoke  English,  fluently),  he  said  to  me 
'That  countryman  of  yours,  McKinley,  what  means  he 
by  'America  for  Americans!'  "  Then  I  explained  to  him 
the  difference  between  economic  conditions  in  Europe  and 
America,  and  endeavored  to  get  him  to  subscribe  to  our 
Republican  policy  of  giving  to  our  wage-earners  the  "Full 
Dinner  Pafl,"  for  which  McKinley  pleaded,  and  a  chance  in 
the  sunhght.  He  regretted  that  his  house  had  no  display 
at  the  Columbian  Exposition  for  the  reason,  he  said  that 
Italy  had  made  no  adequate  appropriation  to  enable  her 
^reat  artisans  to  have  a  display. 

265 


Again,  during  the  month  of  August,  1895,  when,  for 
the  third  time,  I  was  sojourning  in  London,  I  read  an 
article  in  the  Daily  News,  intimating  that,  McKinley,  by 
reason  of  his  protective  tariff  views,  was  becoming  un- 
popular, with  the  Repubhcan  party.  I  immediately  chal- 
lenged the  statement,  in  a  letter  to  the  News,  a  brief 
summary  of  which  was  cabled  to  the  United  States,  and 
published  by  the  newspapers,  generally,  including  the 
Cleveland  Leader,  and  the  Cleveland  Plain  Dealer,  of 
August  16th,  1895.  Under  the  caption— HE  TELLS  ALL 
ENGLAND — was  the  following  in  the  Plain  Dealer. 

"London,  August  16:  State  Senator  Green  of  Cleveland, 
writes  to  the  Daily  News,  respecting  the  article  it  published  yes- 
terday, an  abstract  of  which  was  cabled  to  the  Associated  Press, 
in  which  it  said,  that  'the  feeling  against  increasing  the  Tariff  will 
probably  induce  the  Republicans  to  drop  McKinley.' 

"Senator  Green  says,  n  reply,  that  the  Republican  party  has 
not  modified,  in  the  slightest  degree  the  cardinal  principles  of  the 
last  convention,  when  it  endorsed  the  McKinley  bill.  He  is  able  to 
assert,  he  says,  that  four-fifths  of  the  party  still  stand  upon  that 
platform. 

"The  prosperity  of  the  country,  he  claims,  is  not  due  to  the 
mutilation  of  the  McKinley  law;  but  to  the  fact  that,  the  House  of 
Representatives  which  performed  the  mutilation,  has  been  retirea, 
amid  the  anathemas  of  millions  of  mjured  business  men." 

Certainly,  the  foregoing  evidences  of  my  friendship 
for  the  candidacy  of  McKinley,  coming  to  the  notice  of 
both  himself  and  his  great  coadjutor,  the  late  Senator  M. 
A.  Hanna,  did  not  lower  me  in  their  estimation,  but  had 
a  contrary  effect,  which,  together  with  my  home  efforis, 
along  the  same  line,  perhaps,  accounts  for  much  of  the 
courtesy  and  kindness  which  tiie  great  men  displayed  for 
me. 

When  President  McKinley  directed  Postmaster  Gen- 
eral Gary,  to  place  me  at  the  head  of  the  buresu  of 
United  States  Postage  Stamp  Agent,  that  august  iunc- 
tionary  hesitated ;  for  the  reason,  expressed  by  him  to  the 
President,  that,  nearly  every  employe  in  the  office  v^\^s  a 

266 


white  lady !  The  President  answered,  "I  know  Mr.  Green ; 
he  is  a  friend  of  mine;  I  will  be  responsible  for  his  be- 
havior." 

General  John  A.  Merritt,  third  assistant  Postmaster 
General,  and  subsequently  postmaster  of  Washington, 
D.  C,  is  my  authority  for  this  statement. 

Subsequently,when  I  had  the  honor  to  call  on  the 
President,  smilingly,  he  said  to  me :  ''None  of  them  left, 
did  they !"  I  answered  in  the  negative,  and  he  smiled  again. 

Before  being  appointed  to  the  position  referred  to,  I 
was  promised  by  Mr.  Hanna  the  place  known  as  Recorder 
of  Deeds  of  the  District  of  Columbia ;  but  Senator  Pritch- 
ard,  of  North  Carolina,  demanded  that  oifice  for  one  of 
his  political  supporters,  of  color,  in  that  state.  Mr.  John 
C.  Dancey  had  been  given  the  poii:  of  Wilmington ;  Hon. 
George  H.  White,  had  been  elected  to  Congress,  and  Mr. 
Cheatam,  the  third,  had  to  be  cared  for,  "for  the  good  of 
the  Republican  party  of  North  Carolina."  Cheatam  got 
the  place;  and  the  President  requested  Senator  Hanna 
to  say  to  me:  "As  well  as  I  like  him,  I  think  more  of 
the  Republican  party."  It  is  interesting  to  know,  that, 
since  then,  23  years,  no  one  in  North  Carolina,  has  bc^en 
elected  to  the  electoral  college,  on  the  Republican  ticket! 

There  was  a  convention  of  colored  men  held  in  a 
Baptist  church,  in  12th  Street,  Washington,  D.  C,  dur- 
ing President  McKinley's  first  term,  of  which  I  v/as  a 
member— present.  During  the  proceedings  of  the  con- 
vention, a  resolution  of  censure  was  suggested  by  some 
one,  because  the  President,  in  his  last  annual  message, 
had  remained  silent  as  to  the  lynchings  of  colored  per- 
sons, without  any  trial,  in  the  Southern  States.  I  sug- 
gested, that,  such  action  would  be  not  only  improper,  but, 
unjust  to  the  President,  inasmuch  as  he  adopted  that 
course,  after  conferring  with  some  of  the  leading  col- 
ored men  of  the  nation. 

267 


Immediately,  there  was  a  great  ''hubub" — ^pandemo- 
nium had  broken  loose;  and  Mr.  Timothy  Thomas  For- 
tune, the  founder,  and,  at  that  time,  editor  of  the  New 
York  Age,  exclaimed,  ''Show  us  the  Judases!  Show  us 
the  Judases!!"  I  refused  to  give  the  names  of  the 
"Judases,"  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  escort  me 
to  an  ante-room,  to  persuade  me  to  divulge  the  names 
required.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  did  not  know  the  names 
of  the  men  who  had  been  in  conference  with  the  Presi- 
dent; but,  in  making  my  statement  to  the  convention,  I 
relied  on  the  word  of  Honorable  Elmer  Dover,  secretary 
of  the  Republican  National  Committee,  from  whom  I  had 
gotten  the  information.  Subsequently,  I  learned  the  name 
of  the  most  influential  of  the  coterie,  from  the  Hon. 
George  A.  Myers,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  a  very  able  and  in- 
fluential colored  American,  high  in  the  esteem  of  both  the 
President  and  Senator  Hanna,  who  seemed  to  be  well  in- 
formed in  the  premises. 

At  an  early  hour,  on  the  following  day,  before  the 
White  House  was  opened  to  the  general  public,  I  was  re- 
ceived, in  audience,  by  the  President  of  the  United  States, 
in  his  private  chamber.  I  stated  all  the  facts  to  him,  as  in 
the  foregoing;  and  was  asked  by  him  my  opinion,  as  to  the 
better  course  to  pursue,  in  the  premises.  1  suggested 
that,  to  ignore  the  whole  matter  seemed  proper  to  me; 
and  that  course  was  taken.  I  know  that  President  Mc- 
Kinley's  heart  was  bleeding  by  reason  of  the  barbarities 
then  (and  now)  pei-petrated  on  the  poor  friendless  f reed- 
men  of  the  South;  but,  as  he  said  to  me,  so  m.any  re- 
monstrances had  been  made  in  vain,  that,  they  had  be- 
come to  be  "an  old  song,"  and  he  intended,  with  the  as- 
sistance of  others,  to  formulate  a  new  plan  for  the  elimi- 
nation of  that  evil,  in  the  future;  and  I  am  sure  that,  if 
both  he  and  his  great  adviser.  Senator  M.  A.  Hanna,  had 
not  both  died,  some  valid  repressive  legislation  would 
have  been  attempted,  if  not  consummated. 

268 


I  am  about  to  relate  now  an  incident  in  my  official 
life  at  Washington,  relating  to  President  McKinley, 
which  I  consider  not  only  interesting,  but  unique.  It  has 
reference  to  the  assassination  of  the  postmaster  of  Lake 
City,  South  Carolina,  and  one  or  more  of  his  family,  dur- 
ing the  President's  first  term. 

The  whole  North,  East  and  West  was  shocked  at  the 
horrible  deed ;  and  speedy  and  condign  punishment  of  the 
murderers  was,  generally  demanded. 

Being  admitted  into  the  executive  offices  of  the 
White  House,  I  said,  "Mr.  President,  what  are  you  going 
to  do  with  reference  to  the  murder  of  the  postmaster  at 
Lake  City,  South  Carolina.  Don't  you  think  that  the 
office  should  be  closed?"  He  answered:  '*I  have  already 
issued  that  order."  I  then  asked  him,  "What,  if  any- 
thing, will  be  done  towards  punishing  the  assassins?" 
Like  a  flash,  he  answered :  "Mr.  Green,  I  am  going  to  do 
just  what  would  be  done  if  some  fellow^  should  come  in 
here  and  kill  me! — he  would  be  arrested,  tried  and,  if 
convicted — executed!  "That  whole  section,"  he  added, 
"is  now  bristling  with  secret  service  men ;  and  when  they 
have  made  arrests  of  the  guilty  ones,  they  will  be  in- 
dicted and  tried,  in  a  court  of  competent  jurisdiction; 
and,  if  they  are  convicted  and  sentenced,  they  will  be  duly 
executed." 

I  can  bear  witness  to  the  fact,  that,  the  President 
kept  his  word;  nay,  more — he  sent  an  able  lawyer  to 
Charleston,  S.  C,  at  the  expense  of  the  government,  to  as- 
sist the  District  Attorney  there,  in  the  prosecution;  but, 
as  in  all  other  Ij^nching  cases,  the  jury  failed  to  agree,  and 
the  accused  went  unwhipt  of  justice.  The  President  said 
to  me:  "I  was  surprised  to  see  that  five  of  the  jurors  in- 
sisted on  a  verdict  of  guilty !" 

During  my  nine  years  of  service  as  United  States 
Postage  Stamp  Agent,  and  Acting  Superintendent  of  Fi- 
nance of  the  Post  Office  Department,  I  heard,  occasion- 

269 


ally  caustic  criticisms  of  President  McKinley's  policy, 
^vith  reference  to  the  colored  people,  by  colored  men.  But, 
on  such  occasions,  I  always  challeneged  those  hostile  state- 
ments, and  endeavored  to  prove,  to  the  face  of  the  critic, 
the  falsity  of  his  assertions;  and  I  seldom  failed  in  my 
efforts  in  that  behalf.  The  following  excerpt  from  the 
Washington  Post,  which  appeared  at  the  time  of  McKin- 
ley's tour  of  the  Gulf  States,  goes  far,  in  my  opinion,  to 
strengthen  the  good  will  of  all  colored  Americans  towards 
one  of  their  best  friends  who  ever  filled  the  Presidential 
chair. 

'*Mr.  McKinley,  when  introduced,  said:  *My  fellow 
citizens:  I  thank  you  for  your  hearty  welcome.  I  have 
visited  a  number  of  institutions  of  learning  provided  for 
your  race,  notably,  that  great  institution  at  Tuskegee,  in 
Alabama;  another  in  Savannah,  Ga.,  and,  recently,  one  in 
the  city  of  New  Orleans ;  and  it  has  given  me  great  satis- 
faction to  observe  the  advancement  of  your  race,  since 
the  immortal  proclamation  of  liberty  was  made. 

'The  opportunity  for  learning  is  a  great  privilege. 
The  possession  of  learning  is  an  inestimable  prize;  and 
I  have  been  glad  to  note  that  you  are  endeavoring,  where- 
ever  you  live,  to  enlighten  your  minds  and  prepare  your- 
selves for  the  responsibility  of  citizenship,  under  this 
free  government  of  yours.  What  we  want,  more  than 
anything  else,  whether  we  be  white  or  whether  we  be 
black — what  we  want  is  to  know  how  to  do  something 
well.  If  you  will  just  learn  to  do  one  thing  that  is  useful 
better  than  anybody  else  can  do  that  one  thing,  you  will 
never  be  out  of  a  job;  and  all  employment  is  honorable 
employment.  The  race  is  moving  on  and  has  a  promising 
future.  It  has  been  faithful  to  the  Government  of  the 
United  States.  It  has  been  true  and  loyal  and  patriotic 
and  law-abiding. 

"My  fellow  citizen?,  always  observe  the  law." 
270 


*'In  our  recent  war  with  Spain,  your  race  displayei 
distinguished  qualities  of  gallantry,  on  more  than  one 
field. 

''You  were  in  the  fight  at  ElCaney  and  San  Juan 
Hill,  the  brave  black  boys  helping  to  emancipate  the  op- 
pressed people  of  Cuba;  and  your  race  is  in  the  Philip- 
pines carrying  the  flag,  and  they  have  carried  it,  stainless 
in  its  honor  and  in  its  glory. 

"It  is  a  very  great  pleasure  to  me  to  meet  you,  all; 
and  the  last  word  I  would  leave  with  you  is— to  be  true 
to  right,  to  home,  to  family,  to  yourselves,  to  your  coun- 
try, and,  true  to  God." 

After  the  President's  second  election,  in  the  course  of 
a  few  weeks,  I  sought  a  brief  interview  with  him.  The 
congestion  in  the  executive  offices,  in  the  White  House 
was  such  that  I  almost  despaired  of  even  greeting  him; 
but,  seeing  me,  patiently  awaiting  my  opportunity,  he 
drew  near  to  me  and  said,  in  a  quick  way:  '*Do  you  want 
to  see  me?"  I  answered  in  the  affirmative,  extending  my 
congratulations  to  him,  on  his  re-election,  and  added, 
''Mr.  President,  what  are  my  chances,  under  your  second 
administration?"  In  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  he  replied: 
'Well,  you  shant  be  shocked!"  These  were  the  last  words 
I  ever  heard  him  utter ;  before  I  could  see  him  again,  the 
assassin  had  done  his  work,  which  truly  shocked  me. 

My  sojourn  of  nine  and  a  half  years  in  Washington 
was  very  pleasant,  except  that,  my  office,  being,  for  the 
most  part,  a  sinecure,  I  was  compelled,  during  the  last  two 
years  of  my  official  life  there,  to  go  to  Congress  and  lobby 
the  appropriation  for  my  bureau  through ;  when,  finally,  it 
was  merged  into  the  Third  Assistant  Postmaster's  Bu- 
reau, I  quit,  for  lack  of  funds  to  carry  it  on  longer. 

271 


The  following  letter  speaks  for  itself: 

POST   OFFICE   DEPARTjMENT, 
Office  of  the  Chief  Clerk. 
WASHINGTON. 
Mr.  John  P.  Green,  June  27,  1906. 

Postage  Stamp  Agent, 
Washington,  D.  C. 
Sir:— 

Inasmuch  as  the  Act  of  Congress  making  appropriation  for 
the  maintenance  of  the  postal  service  transfers  the  clerical  force 
of  the  Postage  Stamp  Agency  to  the  office  of  the  Third  Assistant 
Postmaster  General  and  makes  no  provision  for  the  salary  of  the 
Postage  Stamp  Agent,  it  becomes  necessary  to  terminate  your  con- 
nection with  the  Department  on  June  SO,  1906. 
By  direction  of  the  Postmaster  General. 

Respectfully, 

M.  O.  CHANCE, 
Chief  Clerk,  G.  G.  T. 

The  following  copy  of  a  letter  handed  to  me  by 
Colonel  (novv  General)  Clarence  R.  Edwards,  at  a  time 
when  he  was  detailed  to  act  as  head  of  the  Bureau  of  In- 
sular Affairs,  at  Washington,  is  one  w'hich  I  prize  most 
highly;  especially,  since  he  won  for  himself,  in  France, 
during  the  unspeakable  "World  War"  such  a  warm  place 
of  love  and  affection  in  the  hearts  of  the  soldiers  and  all 
true  Americans: 

WAR  DEPARTMENT, 
Bureau  of  Insular  Affairs, 
WASHINGTON. 

February  2d,  1906. 
My  dear  Mr.  Postmaster  General: 

I  wonder  if  you  would  pardon  me  if  I  ventured  a  little  bit  out 
of  my  sphere  as  government  clerk  and  took  the  liberty  of  com- 
mending to  your  personal  consideration  Mr.  John  P.  Green,  United 
States  Postage  Stamp  Agent,  and  Acting  Superintendent  of  Postal 
Finance. 

You  are  probably  much  more  familiar  with  Mr.  Green's  quali- 
fications, and  any  equitable  claim  he  has  upon  your  party  than  am 
I.  Therefore,  I  will  make  no  comment  of  them,  but  state  that  he 
has  recalled  my  acquaintance  with  him,  which  dates  back  to  my 
childhood  when  he  was  a  strong  supporter  of  Mr.  Amos  Townsend, 
my  father's  business  partner,  when  Mr.  Townsend  represented  my 
home  district  of  Cleveland.  I  also  know  him  to  have  been  a  loyal 
supporter  of  Senator  John  Sherman,  and  Mr.  Hanna's  right- 
handed  man  in  Cleveland. 

I  haven't  seen  him  since  I  was  a  boy,  but  I  know  he  has  three 
hard-working  boys  in  Cleveland,  all  the  family  have  been  earaest 
in  the  Republican  cause  and  he,  the  only  one  of  the  family  who  is 

272 


now  holding  office.  He  states  that  you  are  justly  going  to  do 
away  with  the  Postal  Stamp  Agency,  which  he  admits  is  more  or 
less  unnecessary,  but  he  is  quite  anxious  to  be  continued  in  hi3 
present  acting  capacity,  and  believes  that  his  work  in  the  needa 
of  the  service  would  justify  a  compensating  salary  in  that  po- 
sition. 

On  account  of  my  former  knowledge  of  him,  and  from  the 
fact  that  I  know  nothing  but  good  of  him,  I  would  consider  it  a 
personal  favor  if  he  could  gain  your  consideration.  I  am  quite  sure 
that  I  am  only  seconding  Representative  Burton's  estimate  and 
desire  for  this  man's  welfare. 

In  haste, 

Sincerely  yours, 
(Signed)  C.  R.  EDWARDS. 

Hon.  George  B.  Cortelyou, 

Postmaster  General. 

Perhaps,  I  should  add,  before  closing  this  chapter, 
that,  after  the  advent  of  Theodore  Roosevelt,  as  Presi- 
dent, subsequent  to  McKinley's  assassination,  being 
somewhat  in  doubt  as  to  the  tenure  of  my  office,  I  called 
on  him,  at  the  White  House;  and  while  patiently  wait- 
ing for  an  opportunity  to  be  introduced  to  him,  by  the 
Honorable  George  B.  Cortelyoj^private  secretary  to  both, 
McKinley  and  Roosevelt,  I  saw  my  chance  and  intro- 
duced myself;  for  the  President  was  very  busy,  and  my 
time  was  almost  exhausted. 

As,  unoccupied,  he  came  near  me,  I  arose  and  said : 

"Mr.  President,  I  am  John  P.  Green,  your  Postage 
Stamp  Agent ;  and  my  duties  are  to  supervise  the  manu- 
facture and  distribution  of  all  the  postage  stamps;  when 
McKinley  was  Governor  of  Ohio,  I  was  Senator,  from  the 
Cleveland  district." 

Like  a  flash,  he  exclaimed,  ''Bully,  for  you!  Bully, 
for  you ! !" — shook  my  hand,  and  passed  to  the  next.  This 
was  the  only  time  I  ever  m^et  President  Roosevelt. 

Four  incidents  of  a  very  pleasing  nature,  and  of  more 
than  ordinary  interest  to  me,  transpired,  while  I  was  a 
resident  of  Washington: 

The  first  was  that  of  heading  a  delegation  of  most 
prominent  colored  men,  and  introducing  them  to  the  late 

273 


Archbishop  Ireland— a  pronounced  fiiend  of  the  colored 
American,  when,  on  one  occasion,  he  was  visiting,  in 
Washington.  The  learned,  pious  and  beloved  prelate  re- 
ceived us  with  that  courtesy  which  is  characteristic  of  all 
truly  great  men ;  and  we  left  him  with  assurances  of  his 
continued  friendship  and  influence  in  behalf  of  our  op- 
pressed people ;  which,  I  am  proud  to  say,  did  not  abate, 
one  jot  or  one  title,  until  his  Master  called  him  to  his  re- 
ward. 

The  next  incident  was  that  of  presiding  at  a  select 
dinner  tendered  to  the  late  Doctor  Booker  T.  Washington, 
by  Honorable  R.  R.  Homer,  ex-mernber  of  the  Virginia 
Legislature  and  a  member  of  the  District  of  Columbia 
Bar. 

On  this  occasion,  I  was  required  to  deliver  a  brief  ad- 
dress, relative  to  the  life  and  work  of  the  distinguished 
guest,  which  he  visibly  appreciated.  I  had  met  Mr.  Wash- 
ington several  times  before ;  and  subsequent  to  this  event, 
our  group,  attending  a  select,  social  dance,  at  Willough 
Beach  Park  in  a  suburb  of  Cleveland,  was  honored  and 
pleased  to  count  him  as  one  of  our  number.  Mr.  Wash- 
ington appeared  at  his  best,  on  this  occasion;  he  chatted 
familiarly,  with  numbers  of  the  guests,  laughed  heartily 
at  the  sallies  of  wit  and  mirth,  and  danced  like  a  boy. 
"Look  at  Mr.  Washington,  dancing!"  exclaimed  one  of 
his  attendants,  as  if  thoroughly  astounded.  It  was  the 
last  time  we  were  in  his  presence. 

The  third  incident  I  will  call  attention  to,  was  when 
the  late  Samuel  Coleridge  Taylor  was,  for  twenty  days, 
our  guest,  on  the  occasion  of  his  first  visit  to  the  United 
States,  for  the  puipose  of  conducting  a  noted  rendition  of 
his  great  cantata,  "Hiawatha,"  by  the  S.  Coleridge  Tay- 
lor Society,  of  Washington,  D.  C. 

We  became  so  well  acquainted  with  Mr.  Coleridge 
Taylor,  on  that  occasion,  that,  in  after  years,  when  en- 
route  to  Chicago,  on  professional  business,  he  deigned  to 

274 


stop  off  at  Cleveland,  for  a  day  or  two,  and  be  again 
our  honored  guest;  and,  years  after  that,  when  my  late 
wife  and  I  were  visiting  London,  the  home  of  this  great 
composer  and  his  talented  family  was  a  sort  of  Mecca 
towards  which  we  turned  our  faces  when  in  need  of  recre- 
ataion  and  first  class  musical  entertainment.  This  young 
student  of  music,  who  was  the  favorite  pupil  of  one  of 
London's  most  efficient  teachers,  was  thoroughly  imbued 
with  the  divine  afflatus,  so  to  speak;  music  was  in  his 
head,  heart  and  very  soul;  even  his  fingers  seemed  to 
tingle  with  it.  At  his  suburban  home — Hill  Crest,  Nor- 
bury,  S.  W.,  England;  and  afterwards,  at  Aldwych,  St. 
Leonard's  Road,  Croydon,  England  (both  suburbs  of  Lon- 
don), he  had  an  orchestra  organized  for  the  rendition  of 
approved  classical  music,  every  member  of  which  would 
be  regarded,  by  the  general  public,  as  a  "star."  To  the 
public  concerts  of  this  orchestra,  we  received,  from  him, 
frequent  invitations ;  and  we  were  generally  accompanied 
to  and  from  the  town  by  Mr.  Clarence  Cameron  White,  a 
colored  relative  of  ours,  who  was  then  being  instructed 
in  his  studies  on  the  violin,  by  some  of  the  foremost  ar- 
tists of  London. 

At  times,  when  we  were  visiting  at  the  home  of  Mr. 
Taylor,  both  he  and  his  amiable  and  talented  wife 
would  preside  at  the  piano,  and  interpret  for  our  enter- 
tainment and  pleasure  some  of  his  own  compositions, 
which  had  set  wild  with  enthusiasm  vast  audiences  of 
the  populace,  who  overflowed  the  great  Albert  Hall,  the 
pride  of  the  world's  capital. 

When  that  dread  disease,  pneumonia,  brought  low  the 
head  of  Samuel  Coleridge  Taylor,  in  the  morning  of  his 
life,  before  he  had  reached  his  thirtieth  year,  it  deprived 
society  of  the  most  brilliant  and  promising  star,  in  the 
musical  firmament,  of  his  day.  Peace  be  to  his  ashes! 
His  memory  is  consecrated  by  his  works  and  will  live. 

275 


The  fourth  and  last  event  which  I  shall  mention,  has 
reference  to  this  writer,  and  would,  perhaps,  be  omitted, 
were  it  not  meet  and  just  to  mention  the  name  of  the 
talented  and  friendly  gentleman  to  whom  I  am  still  in- 
debted for  the  significant  courtesy  tendered  to  me,  in  this 
'  behalf. 

I  refer  to  Doctor  George  H.  Richardson,  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  doctor,  lawyer,  scholar,  philosopher  and  all 
around  good  fellow,  who  originated  and  carried  to  suc- 
cessful consummation  a  banquet,  tendered  by  residents  of 
the  North,  East  and  West,  in  honor  of  this  narrator. 

It  was  a  notable  event,  by  reason  of  the  large  num- 
ber of  prominent  colored  men  of  the  section  north  of  the 
Mason  and  Dixon  line,  who  were  in  attendance;  and  the 
additional  fact,  that,  the  united  sentiment  was  laudatory 
of  the  great  and  good  McKinley.  If  this  writer  shone  at 
all,  it  was  as  the  moon  shines — in  a  light  borrowed  from 
the  sun;  to  be  quite  definite — McKinley  was  the  sun. 

There  were  numerous  ''brainy" — able,  meritorious 
colored  men  in  Washington,  at  that  time,  a  mere  mention 
of  whose  names  is  all  that  space  will  aiford,  at  present. 
These  were:  Ex-Senator  Blanch  K.  Bruce,  Register  of 
the  Treasury;  Judson  W.  Lyons,  subsequently.  Register 
of  the  Treasury;  John  C.  Dancey,  Recorder  of  Deeds; 
Milton  M.  Holland,  Chief  of  Division  (decorated  by  Con- 
gress for  signal  bravery  in  the  "crater"  at  Petersburgh, 
Va.);  George  H.  White,  M.  C,  from  North  Carolina; 
Captain  W.  Bruce  Evans,  Principal  of  the  AiTnstrong  In- 
dustrial School ;  Daniel  Murray,  Librarian  of  a  branch  of 
the  Congressional  Library,  noted  by  all  congi-essmen  for 
his  wide  and  deep  learning  in  his  official  sphere  of  action ; 
the  two  sons,  Lewis  and  Charles,  of  the  late  Frederick 
Douglass;  Paul  Lawrence  Dunbar,  author;  James  A. 
Cobb,  lawyer;  W.  Calvin  Chase,  lawyer  and  editor  of 
the  ''Bee";  Professor  Kelley  Miller,  scholar  and  author; 
Rev.  Owen  Meredith  Waller,  Rector  of  St.  Luke's  P.  E. 

276 


Church;  W.  A.  Joiner,  now  superintendent  of  the  Agri- 
culture and  Mechanical  Department  of  Wilberforce  Uni- 
versity; Judge  R.  H.  Terrell,  of  the  Municipal  Court;  Dr. 
Daniel  Hale  Williams,  Surgeon  in  Chief  of  the  Freed- 
man's  Hospital;  Dr.  Purvis;  Dr.  Firmin  Shadd;  J.  Finley 
Wilson,  the  able  and  successful  editor  of  'The  Eagle," 
founded  by  him ;  and  a  host  of  others  of  great  merit  and 
high  standing,  whose  names  are  not  at  my  ''tongue's 
end,"  at  this  writing. 

I  held  my  official  station  during  nine  consecutive 
years,  about  five  years  longer  than  I  should  have  held  it ; 
for,  on  my  return  to  Cleveland,  after  an  absence  extend- 
ing over  an  entire  decade,  lacking  a  few  months,  I  was 
unknown,  professionally,  to  litigants,  generally;  and,  al- 
though I  joined  my  two  sons,  William  R.  Green,  Esq.,  and 
Theodore  B.  Green,  Esq.,  without  delay,  in  the  practice 
of  the  law,  yet,  it  was  many  months,  before  my  old  clients 
and  friends  could  be  persuaded,  that  I  was  not  in  jest, 
when  I  made  known  to  them  the  fact,  that,  I  was  back 
again,  and  in  the  "legal  harness;"  and  although,  at  sixty- 
one,  I  had  not  yet  begun  to  realize  that,  I  was  an  "old 
man,"  (nor  did  I  bend  my  knee  or  slacken  my  pace,  in 
the  presence  of  "Old  Father  Time,"  who  with  his 
whetted  scythe  now  grimly  awaits  his  opportunity  to 
gather  me  in. 

It  might  be  of  interest  to  some  of  my  readers,  who 
are  religiously  inclined,  to  know  that,  in  the  beginning  of 
the  year  1900,  my  late  wife,  my  daughter  and  myself 
were  confirmed,  by  Bishop  Henry  Y.  Satterlee,  in  Saint 
Luke's  Episcopal  Church  of  Washington,  D.  C.  I  had 
been,  through  baptism,  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church 
from  the  age  of  one  month;  and  during  my  whole  boy- 
hood, had  been  a  constant  attendant  on  divine  services, 
in  Christ  Episcopal  Church  of  Newbeme,  N.  C.  and  Trin- 
ity Church,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio;  in  fact,  in  the  latter  fif- 
ties, I  assisted  the  aged  colored  sexton  of  the  latter 

277 


church,  Mr.  Rigdon  Green,  in  the  performance  of  his 
functions  there;  but,  later  on,  the  lure  of  youthful  asso- 
ciation, and  the  demands  of  practical  politics,  estranged 
me  from  it;  and  I  found  myself,  with  my  family,  oscil- 
lating, or  gyrating  around  and  amongst  all  the  varied 
orthodox  churches,  until  I  reached  the  fifty-fifth  year  of 
my  life ;  then,  as  I  have  stated,  we  three  cast  in  our  lot, 
definitely  and  for  all  time,  with  our  ancestral-apostolic 
church. 

During  the  remainder  of  my  term  in  Washington,  I 
served  as  one  of  the  vestrymen,  and  when  we  were  ready 
to  return  to  our  Cleveland  home,  with  many  regrets,  on 
our  part,  as  well  as  on  the  part  of  the  ver^  efficient 
Rector,  Rev.  T.  J.  Brown  (who  is  still  in  charge)  and 
our  brethren  of  the  church,  generally,  I  handed  in  my 
resignation. 

On  our  return  to  Cleveland,  we  immediately  took 
our  place  in  Saint  Andrew's  Church,  where,  for  many 
years,  now,  I  have  been  serving  as  one  of  the  wardens 
of  the  church,  and,  ex-officio  vestry-man;  on  many  occa- 
sions, I  have  acted  as  lay-reader,  especially,  during  our 
inter-regnum,  when  the  church  has  been  wi^:hout  a  rec- 
tor. The  present  Rector,  Rev.  B.  W.  Suthern,  who  by 
his  extraordinaiy  efficiency  and  spiritual  graces,  has 
very  greatly  endeared  himself  to  us,  is  a  young  man,  and 
gives  promise  of  being  with  us  for  many  years  to  come. 


278 


CHAPTER  XV. 
HOME  AGAIN  AND  EUROPEAN  TRIP. 

It  was  with  great  pleasure  that  I  once  again  found 
myself  a  "bona  fide"  resident  of  my  own  dear  city  of 
Cleveland.  True  it  is  that,  during  our  residence  in 
Washington,  I  lost  no  opportunity  of  visiting  our  home, 
and  of  remaining  as  long  as  I  consistently  could ;  but  that 
fell  far  short  of  a  regular,  permanent  abode. 

Our  old  friends  and  associates  flocked  around  us  and 
gave  us  just  the  hearty  welcome  which  we  expected  and 
needed ;  and  it  did  not  take  me  longer  than  a  few  days  on 
my  return  to  Cleveland,  to  settle  down  at  my  desk  and 
take  up  the  study  of  that  ^'jealous  mistress,"  the  Law, 
where  I  had  laid  it  down,  ten  years  before.  In  fact,  I  had 
kept  in  touch  with  her,  even  while  we  resided  in  Wash- 
ington,  by  aiding,  to  some  extent,  my  son,  Theodore  B, 
Green,  in  his  studies,  while  he  was  a  student  in  the  How- 
ard Law  School,  which  made  my  return  to  the  practice 
comparatively  easy. 

That  my  recitals  may  not  become  monotonous  or 
wearysome,  I  shall  make  reference  in  this  chapter  to 
only  two  cases,  out  of  hundreds,  which  engaged  my  at- 
tention during  the  early  years,  after  my  return. 

The  first  was  that  of  Ohio  vs.  Wade  Leigh,  a  man 
who  was  indicted  for  murder  in  the  first  degree;  it  was 
a  difficult  case,  in  which  I  was  ably  assisted  by  Horace 

279 


Neff,  Esq.,  a  son  of  Judge  William  B.  Neff,  whose  name 
appears  in  a  previous  chapter  of  this  story. 

Wade  Leigh  and  the  deceased,  had  engaged  in  a 
wordy-war,  at  an  early  hour,  the  day  before  Christmas, 
and  separated  breathing  out  mutual  threats.  Later  in 
the  day,  'Wade,"  after  having  made  some  Christmas  pur- 
chases, entered  a  saloon,  laid  his  parcels  down  on  the  bar, 
and  bought  and  began  to  drink  a  glass  of  beer.  While 
he  was  so  engaged,  in  drinking  the  beer,  the  deceased 
entered  the  bar  room,  presumably,  for  the  purpose  of 
buying  a  drink ;  but,  seeing  "Wade,"  standing  at  the  bar, 
he  turned  and  left  the  room,  through  the  swinging  doors 
which  were  within  the  outer  door.  He  was,  immediately 
followed  by  ''Wade,"  who  shot  and  killed  him  almost  on 
the  threshold  of  the  door,  as  he  stepped  out  upon  the 
sidewalk.  "Wade,"  thereupon,  returned  to  the  bar  room, 
picked  up  his  packages  which  he  had  left  lying  on  the 
bar,  and  left  the  place  through  the  back  door,  his  glass, 
not  yet  being  emptied. 

By  the  side  of  the  body  of  the  deceased,  which  was 
still  lying  on  the  sidewalk,  was  found  a  dangerous  look- 
ing knife,  opened,  by  a  close  friend  of  "Wade."  The 
ready  inference  was,  of  course,  that  the  knife  was  the 
property  of  the  deceased  man ;  and  that,  he  had  assaulted 
"Wade"  with  it,  between  the  doors  (outer  and  inner) 
before  "Wade"  shot  him,  in  "self  defense!" 

The  foregoing  was  the  backbone  of  the  defense,  at 
any  rate;  and  it  succeeded — the  defendant,  "Wade,"  be- 
ing found  guilty  of  assault  and  battery  only.  So  anxious 
was  the  State's  attorney  that  the  jury  should  not  rec- 
ommend mercy,  in  finding  defendant  guilty  of  murder 
in  the  first  degree,  and  thus,  fix  his  punishment  at  life 
imprisonment — and  so  strenuously  and  earnestly  did  he 
argue  in  that  behalf,  that,  he  evidently  forgot  that  the 
defendant,  left  his  packages,  and  returned  for  them, 
after  he  had  committed  the  murder;  that,  he  had   not 

280 


finished  drinking  his  beer,  when  he  followed  deceased 
out  of  the  bar  room ;  and  that,  he  left,  finally,  through  a 
back  door. 

I  pointed  out  to  the  honorable  judge,  after  the  trial 
was  ended  and  the  jury  had  been  excoriated  and  sum- 
marily dismissed,  and  the  defendant  fined  and  sentenced 
to  the  house  of  correction,  that  the  defence,  that  "Wade" 
was  assaulted  by  the  deceased,  with  the  big  knife,  as  he 
("Wade")  was  leaving  the  premises;  and  that,  he  shot 
him  to  protect  his  life  and  limbs,  would  have  ''fallen  to 
the  ground,"  and  the  defendant  would  have  been  con- 
victed of  murder  in  the  first  degree,  instead  of  assault 
and  battery,  if  the  prosecuting  attorney  had  not,  inad- 
vertently, forgotten,  failed  to  call  the  attention  of  the 
jury  to  those  facts  which  would  have  left  no  doubt  in 
the  minds  of  the  jury-men  that  "Wade"  left  that  room 
for  the  sole  purpose  of  killing  his  victim. 

With  a  look  of  blank  amazement,  and  disappoint- 
ment, they  both  turned  away  from  me;  and  the  farce  ( ?) 
of  that  prosecution  was  ended. 

The  daily  papers  carried  glowing  accounts  of  our 
success  in  that  case,  and  it  added  much  to  our  profes- 
sional popularity. 

The  other  case,  which  I  shall  refer  to,  was  of  more 
than  local  interest;  inasmuch  as  many  newspapers,  in 
remote  sections  of  the  countiy,  noticed  it;  and  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  subsequently,  cured 
what  seemed  to  be  a  legal  defect,  by  appropriate  legis- 
lation. 

Doctor  John  L.  Hoyer,  an  aged  and  venerable  look- 
ing white  man,  who  had  been  tried,  convicted,  fined  and 
committed  to  the  House  of  Correction  of  the  City  of 
Cleveland,  sent  for  me,  while  incarcerated,  to  visit  him 
in  the  prison,  and  give  him  such  legal  advice,  in  the 
premises,  as  was  needful  for  his  welfare ;  and,  especially, 
for  the  fact  that,  a  piece  of  jewelry  of  his  personal  be- 

281 


longings,  taken  from  him  ''for  safe-keeping"  on  his  en- 
tering the  prison,  was  lost  or  stolen ;  and  he  could  obtain 
no  satisfactory  explanation  as  to  its  whereabouts. 

Having  been  personally  acquainted  with  the  patriar- 
chal-bewhiskered  old  gentleman,  for  many  years,  I  hast- 
ened to  his  side,  for  the  purpose  above  mentioned;  he 
was  brought  out,  into  the  audience  room,  accompanied  by 
one  of  the  prison  guards,  who  steadfastly  refused  to 
leave  his  side  for  a  moment,  in  order  that  I  might  con- 
fer with  his  prisoner,  professionally.  I  appealed  to  the 
superintendent;  with  the  result  that  he  told  me,  point- 
blank,  that,  the  rule  under  which  the  guard  was  acting 
was  one  of  long  standing,  and  he  would  continue  to  en- 
force it. 

This  left  me  no  alternative,  except  to  have  recourse 
to  the  Director  of  Charities  and  Corrections — the  Hon- 
orable Harris  R.  Cooley,  a  big-hearted,  kindly  disposed. 
Christian  gentleman;  who,  I  may  here,  digress  to  say, 
is  a  true  and  valuable  friend  of  all  colored  people. 

Mr.  Cooley,  after  conferring  with  the  superintendent, 
and  getting  the  same  answer,  m  effect,  that  he  had  given 
to  me,  gave  me  the  information  which  I  had  already 
received.  So,  finding,  according  to  the  slang  phraseology^ 
of  the  time,  that  I  was  "up  against  it,"  with  no  prospect 
of  having  a  private  conference  with  my  client,  I  deter- 
mined to  carry  my  complaint  to  the  Maj^or  of  Cleveland, 
the  Honorable  Newton  D.  Baker,  now,  and  for  a  long 
time.  Secretary  of  War,  at  Washington. 

After  a  reasonable  delay,  I  was  ushered  into  the 
presence  of  that  august,  but  kindly,  functionary;  and,  at 
once,  made  known  to  him  my  case,  as  I  have  stated  it  in 
the  foregoing. 

Mr.  Baker,  lawyer  and  statesman,  as  he  was  and  is, 
seemed  surprised  to  learn  the  status  of  this  affair,  and, 
immediately,  called  up  one  of  the  attorneys  for  the  city, 
and  placed  it  in  his  hands,  for  a  brief  and  opinion,  in  the 

282 


premises.  After  that,  we  had  a  short  conversation,  which 
seemed  mutually  agreeable  to  us;  and  I  took  my  depart- 
ure. 

After  the  lapse  of  several  days,  I  received,  by  mail, 
from  the  distinguished  gentleman,  a  document,  of  which 
the  following  is  a  true  copy : 

Oct.  8,  1914. 
Hon.  Newton  D.  Baker, 

Mayor  of  Cleveland. 
My  dear  Mr.  Baker: 

I  beg  leave  to  reply  as  follows  to  your  inquiry  of  yesterday 
with  reference  to  the  right  of  the  superintendent  of  the  work- 
house to  refuse  the  request  of  a  person  sentenced  for  a  misde- 
meanor for  an  opportunity  to  have  a  private  conversation  with  hi& 
attorney. 

I  have  examined  the  matter  carefully  and  find  that  the  law  ap- 
plicable to  this  case  lays  down  in  substance  this  fundamental  propo- 
sition: A  jailer  charged  with  the  duty  of  protecting  and  preserv- 
ing the  jail  and  of  keeping  the  prisoners  safely  until  he  is  relieved 
by  legal  authority  of  their  custody  has  a  large  discretion  in  de- 
termining at  what  time,  under  what  circumstances  and  what  per- 
sons he  will  permit  to  enter  the  jail  or  to  have  access  to  the  pris- 
oners, a  discretion  which  he  must  exercise  according  to  his  own 
conscience  and  judgment  uncontrolled  by  the  conscience  and  judg- 
ment of  others. 

Thus  it  has  been  held  that  a  sheriff,  for  instance,  may  require- 
whoever  may  seek  admission  into  the  jail,  to  submit  their  persons 
to  a  proper,  orderly  examination  or  search.  If  they  do  not  con- 
sent, admission  to  the  jail  or  access  to  the  prisoners  may  be  re-- 
fused. If  they  persist  in  remaining  they  may  be  treated  as  tres- 
passers and  ejected.    (104  Ala.  35.) 

Likewise  in  England  it  was  held  that  where  a  material  wit- 
ness for  a  person  accused  was  confined  in  prison  the  jailer  should 
allow  the  attorney  for  the  accused  to  see  the  witness  in  his  pres- 
ence, but  properly  refused  to  allow  the  attorney  to  see  the  witness 
apart.     (7  C.  &  P.  176). 

The  Constitution  and  Statutes  of  Ohio  are  silent  upon  this  sub- 
ject. As  to  the  workhouses  the  statutes  simply  vest  the  manage- 
ment in  the  proper  city  official  and  clothe  the  superintendent  of 
the  workhouse  with  police  powers.  We  are  therefore  relegated  ta 
common  law  and  the  decision  in  this  and  other  states,  which, 
read  as  follows: 

"It  is  a  power  inherent  in  a  workhouse  superintendent 
to  prescribe  reasonable  rules  tor  the  government  of  the 
prison  and  to  enforce  obedience  to  them  by  the  infliction 
of  proper  punishment  ****•' 
The  court's  opinion,  so  far  as  applicable,  was  as  follows: 

"The  superintendent  of  a  workhouse  is  a  public  offi- 
cer— an  executive  officer  perhaps — charged  with  the  gov- 

283 


eminent  in  a  great  measure  and  the  maintenance  of  good 
order  in  the  city  prison;  and  in  the  discharge  of  these  du- 
ties he  is  given  and  must  be  given  a  wide  discretion  *  *  . 
It  is  necessary  that  good  order  be  preserved  in  these  in- 
stitutions. Reasonable  rules  and  regulations  must  be  made 
for  the  government  of  the  inmates.  The  statutes  provide 
for  reasonable  iniles  and  regulations  in  the  government  of 
and  the  punishment  administered  in  county  jails  which  are 
to  be  submitted  to  the  common  pleas  judges;  and  the  ne- 
cessity for  such  rules  and  regulations  applies  with  still 
greater  force  to  w^orkhouses  such  as  this,  where  a  large 
number  of  prisoners  are  confined,  many  of  them  for  long 
periods  of  time  where  they  are  compelled  to  work  under 
the  superintendence  of  officers  of  the  workhouse  as  a  pun- 
ishment for  criminal  offenses.  With  such  a  large  body  of 
men  gathered  together  in  such  a  prison  reasonable  rules 
and  regulations  are  necessary,  and  it  is  necessary  that 
these  rules  and  regulations  should  be  enforced  and  that 
the  superintendent  of  such  an  institution  should  have  the 
power  to  punish  within  limitations  and  restrictions." 
It  must  be  remembered  that  this  is  the  case  of  a  man  con- 
victed of  a  crime  who  has  lost  thereby  his  rights  as  a  citizen. 

The  superintendent  is  absolutely  responsible  for  the  custody 
of  the  accused.  If  it  w^ere  not  inherent  in  the  official  to  make  all 
reasonable  rules  for  the  government  of  the  prisoners  it  is  quite 
obvious  that  he  might  be  frequently  held  liable  for  dire  conse- 
quences which  his  best  efforts  and  judgment  could  not  control.  He 
must  therefore  be  permitted  to  exercise  his  discretion  to  deter- 
mine in  each  particular  case  what  the  extent  of  the  restriction 
upon  the  prisoner  should  be.  That  an  attorney  is  concerned  in 
this  case  I  conceive  can  give  no  greater  rights. 

It  is  therefore  my  judgment  that  the  superintendent  of  the 
workhouse  was  perfectly  within  his  rights  in  refusing  the  request 
in  this  case. 

Very  truly  yours, 
(Signed)        ARTHUR  F.  YOUNG, 
AFY-J  Assistant  City  Solicitor. 

My  disappointment  and  dissatisfaction  was  rapidly 
increasing;  my  faith  in  my  original  contention  was  in- 
creasing, rather  than  diminishing;  and  I  determined  to 
see  what  redress,  if  any,  I  could  obtain  at  law.  A  manda- 
mus was  applied  for;  the  writ  issued;  all  parties  were 
in  court,  and  the  defendant's  demand  was  adjudged  to  be 
reasonable  and  lawful,  by  the  Honorable  Charles  J.  Es- 
tep,  one  of  the  judges  of  our  Ck)urt  of  Common  Pleas; 
thereupon,  I  took  my  client  aside;  talked  with  him,  and 
advised  him  as  to  his  legal  rights,  in  the  premises;  and, 

284 


afterwards,  wrote  a  check  for  the  amount  of  my  fee, 
which  he  readily  signed;  and  the  famous  case  was  ended. 

I  desire  to  record  here,  an  incident  of  my  Hfe  which 
has  brought  to  me  much  satisfaction,  and,  I  trust,  bene- 
fit to  the  cause  of  all  the  colored  Americans.  I  refer  to 
the  time  when  I  w^as  ''elected  to  Congress"  (as  I  de- 
nominate the  transaction) ,  by  the  colored  people  of  Cleve- 
land, in  mass  meeting  assembled.  It  came  about  in  this 
way : 

Senate  Bill,  6060,  of  the  63d  Congress,  3d  Session, 
had  passed  the  Senate  and  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Im- 
migration Committee  of  the  House  of  which  Judge  Bur- 
nett aftd^labama,  was  chairman. 

On  page  8  of  said  bill,  beginning  with  line  8,  were 
the  following  words:  "That  after  four  months  from  the 
approval  of  this  act,  in  addition  to  the  aliens  who  are 
hereby  excluded  from  admission  into  the  United  States, 
the  following  persons  shall  also  be  excluded  from  admis- 
sion thereto,  to  wit:  All  members  of  the  African  or 
black  race." 

Some  very  able  lawyers  were  of  opinion,  that,  the 
phraseology  of  that  provision  would  even  exclude  col- 
ored citizens  of  the  United  States,  out  of  the  country, 
from  re-entering  the  same. 

Quite  reasonably,  the  colored  people  of  Cleveland, 
who  were  informed,  became  alarmed;  especially  for  the 
reason  that,  it  had  gone  through  the  Senate  without  op- 
position. A  mass-meeting  of  colored  citizens  was  imme- 
diately called  to  meet  in  Saint  John's  A.  M.  E.  Church, 
at  a  time  specified ;  they  crowded — packed  all  parts  of  the 
large  structure,  the  number  being  estimated  at  2,500. 
Speeches  were  made;  a  committee  on  resolutions  ap- 
pointed, of  v/hich  this  writer  was  made  chairman ;  a  pre- 
amble and  set  of  resolutions,  which  this  writer  had  in 
his  pocket,  was  unanimously  adopted,  without  the  chang- 
ing of  a  syllable;  and  I  was  unanimously  elected  to  go 

285 


to  Congress,  at  Washington,  and  use  my  best  endeavors, 
with  our  own  and  other  delegates,  to  have  that  obnoxious 
proviso  eUminated  from  the  bill;  also,  a  collection  was 
then  and  there  taken,  to  defray  all  expenses,  and  compen- 
sate me  for  services  to  be  rendered. 

It  goes  without  saying,  that,  (to  paraphrase  the  lan- 
guage of  JuUus  Caesar,  on  a  momentous  occasion),  ''I 
went,  I  saw,  I  conquered!"  and  returning  home,  my  re- 
port was  received  with  acclamations  of  unalloyed  enthu- 
siasm and  approval. 

Judge  Burnett  of  Albania,  chairman  of  the  Immi- 
gration Committee,  although  a  Southerner,  received  me 
courteously,  heard  my  argument  against  the  proviso,  and 
promised  me  that  he  would  oppose  the  measure,  when 
the  bill  came  before  the  House  for  consideration.  He 
kept  his  word,  *'in  spirit  and  in  truth;"  for,  when  the 
speaking  commenced,  he  divided  his  time  amongst  sev- 
eral of  the  members,  known  to  be  opposed  to  that  fea- 
ture of  it,  and  thereby,  greatly  augmented  the  sentiment 
against  it.  Needless  to  say,  the  whole  bill  was  defeated; 
nor  have  the  enemies  of  the  colored  American,  to  this 
day,  been  able  to  resurrect  it. 

Judge  Burnett,  since  then,  has  gone  to  "that  bourne 
from  which  no  traveler  returns,"  but,  let  it  be  here  re- 
corded, that,  while  his  obsequies  were  being  conducted  in 
far-away  Alabama,  there  was,  at  least,  one  colored  man, 
in  the  bleak  north,  on  the  shore  w^ashed  by  blue  Lake  Erie, 
who  deeply,  sighed  and  mourned  his  untimely  end,  be- 
cause of  that  humane-patriotic  deed,  in  behalf  of  those 
of  ''the  African  or  black  race." 

Time  sped  rapidly  by;  so  fast,  indeed,  that  it  was 
scarcely  appreciated;  and  ere  long,  we  found  ourselves  at 
the  beginning  of  the  year  1909.  Speaking  of  the  flight 
of  Time,  I  am  tempted  to  insert  here  a  few  lines  quoted 
from  "The  Improvement  of  the  Mind,"  by  Isaac  Watts, 
mentioned  in  another  part  of  this  story.     I  reproduce 

286 


these  lines  because  they  are  well  calculated  to  inspire 
and  energize  the  minds  of  the  young,  one  of  the  princi- 
pal reasons  I  have  in  view,  in  writing  this  book.  The 
lines  follow: 


"Nor  let  soft  slumber  close  your  eyes, 
Before  you've  recollected  thrice 
The  train  of  actions  thro  the  day. 
Where  have  my  feet  chose  out  the  way? 
What  have  I  learnt,  where'er  I've  been, 
From  all  I've  heard,  from  all  I've  seen? 
What  know  I  more,  that's  worth  the  knowing? 
What  have  I  done,  that's  worth  the  doing? 
What  have  I  sought,  that  I  should  shun? 
What  duty  have  I  left  undone? 
Or  into  what  new  follies,  run  ? 
These  self-inquiries  are  the  road, 
That  leads  to  virtue  and  to  God." 


My  professional  labours,  during  the  four  preceding 
years,  having  been  extra  exacting,  Mrs.  Green  and  I  de- 
cided to  spend  a  short  vacation  in  England  and  on  the 
''Continent;"  so,  "grip"  in  hand,  and  frugal  luggage  in 
the  hold  of  the  good  ship  Carmania,  we  bade  adieu  to  our 
good  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Samuel  R.  Scottron,  and  fam- 
ily, of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  and  set  sail  for  ''far  distant 
shores." 

After  a  pleasant  voyage  of  about  three  days,  wa 
*'hove  to"  and  attempted  to  make  a  landing  on  one  of 
the  Azore  Islands;  but  the  condition  of  the  sea  was  such 
as  to  make  it  extra  hazardous ;  so,  we  tarried  in  the  offing 
for  only  a  brief  space,  while  one  or  two  of  the  most 
daring  boatmen,  rowed  out  to  us  and  exchanged  greetings 
— to  say  nothing  of  a  few  bananas  and  oranges. 

Our  next  step  was  at  Funchal,  the  capital  city  of  the 
Madeira  Islands — a  province  of  Portugal.  We  were  in- 
formed, that,  we  were  then  distant  about  six  hundred 
miles  from  the  west  coast  of  Africa;  a  fact  which  we 
could  easily  believe;  for,  the  mercury,  even  then,  lu  the 
month  of  Januaiy,  was  at  about  100  degrees  Fahrenheit, 

287 


in  the  sun ;  and  luscious  strawberries  were  being  hawked 
around,  for  sale — fresh  from  the  vines..  After  writing 
and  mailing  pictorial  postal  cards  to  our  friends,  at  home, 
riding  in  the  ''bob-sleds,"  over  the  darnp-smooth  cobble- 
stones, drinking  of  the  rich  Madeira  wine,  to  the  health 
of  Portugal  and  her  colony,  inspecting  the  ancient  Castle, 
vvell  up  on  the  top  of  a  high  hill,  overlooking  the  ocean, 
and  scanning  the  old  cathedral  and  the  pretty,  little, 
green  cemetery  with  its  sacred  dead,  w^e  were  I'eady  to 
embark  again ;  and,  ere  long,  we  had  weighed  anchor  and 
were  en-route  to  Gibraltar;  but  not  before  a  swarm  of 
amphibious  boys  had  earned  numerous  dimes  and  quar- 
ters, by  diving  for  them,  from  the  very  high  upper  decK 
of  the  big  ship  Carmania,  and  recovering  t]:iem  under  the 
surface  of  the  water. 

At  day-break,  the  next  morning  we  v;ere  entering  the 
bay  or  harbor  of  Gibraltar.  I,  of  all  the  passengers,  was 
on  the  deck — alone.  I  beheld,  with  avv-e,  for  the  first  time, 
the  towering — majestic  mass  of  the  Rock  of  Gibraltar!" 
and,  enthused  as  I  was,  there  came  trooping  into  my 
mind,  some  lines  of  Virgil,  relating  to  the  storm-beaten 
companions  of  Aeneas,  as  they  entered  a  bay,  where,  "an 
island  forms  a  harbour  by  its  jutting  sides,  whereby  each 
wave  coming  from  the  main,  is  broken  and  divides  as  it 
enters  the  deep  creeks.  On  either  side  are  huge  rocks 
and  twin  cliffs,  which  tower,  frowning,  towards  the  sky ; 
beneath  whose  peaks  the  water's  surface,  fai"  and  wide, 
Hes  safe  and  still." 

I  also  saw  in  the  offing  (happy  thought),  the  huge 
gray  hulks  of  our  touring  fleet  which,  oa  its  world  en- 
circling voyage,  during  the  administratir^n  of  President 
Roosevelt,  had  just  anchored  in  that  bay.  I  saluted 
"Old  Glory,"  at  the  mast  heads,  as  the  "envious  streaks 
(of  the  rising  sun)  did  lace  the  severing  clouds  in  the 
east,"  and,  almost  forgetting  the  famous  Rock,  gazed 
with  filial  pride  upon  them. 

288 


We  spent  Sunday  there;  and  attended  divine  serv- 
ices, in  the  Episcopal  Cathedral.     The  sermon  by  the 
learned  divine  was  apropos  to  the  occasion;  the  destruc 
tive  earthquake,  which  demol.'rhed  a  goodly  portion  of 
Sicily  and  Calabria,  having  scarcely  ceased  its    ravages. 
The  majesty  of  the  great  British  Empire,  was  easily  evi- 
dent, in  the  erect  forms  and  sterr  demeano?  of  the  local 
troops — that  look  and  bearing  which  is  equally  observ- 
able, in  the  appearance  of  the  Horse  Guards,  in  White- 
hall, the  Lions  Couchant,  on  the  pedestal  of  the  Nelson 
Monument  or  the  ''Queen's  Own,"  in    tiie    shadow    of 
Arthur's  Seat.  At  night,  we  were  once  more  riding  the 
"Bounding  Billow^s ;"  and,  for  tho  first  time,  since  our  de- 
parture from  the  port  of  New  York,  Old  Neptune  as- 
serted himself,  and  the  ladies,  of  our  "set,"  seriously  com- 
plained of  sea-sickness.     It  occurred    just    after    mid- 
night, when,  awaking  from  a  sound  sleep,  we  became  con- 
scious of  the  fact  that,  our  huge  ship  was  rolling  in 
troublulous  seas.     Our  captain  called  it  a  ''fresh  gale," 
which  was  no  stranger  to  the  Gu^  c  of  Lyons,  off  the  south 
coast  of  France,  through  which  we  were  then  passing. 
Quite  a  bit  of  patience  and  some  care,  on  the  part  of  the 
ship's   "surgeon,"   were   necessary   before   we   were   all, 
again,  in  normal  condition ;  but,  in  the  course  of  a  day  or 
so,  landing  in  the  safe  port  of  Genoa,  where  Christopher 
Columbus,  many  a  year  before,  had  feasted  his  eyes,  our 
nausea  was  quickly  dissipated,  and,  like  most  of  ouv  trans- 
ient ills,  forgotten. 

The  great  Cathedral,  the  Campo  Santo,  with  its  un- 
approachable sculptures,  sacred  to  the  dead,  the  birth- 
place of  Christopher  Columbus  and  the  many  quaint  and 
interesting  objects  which  met  our  eager  gaze,  made  our 
short  stay  there,  long  to  be  remembered. 

Our  destination,  however,  "earthquake  or  no  earth- 
quake, was  Naples  (Nar-po-lie,  as  the  natives  euphonious- 
ly called  it),  and  w^hen,  on  the  following  day,  our  ship 

289 


anchored  at  a  dock,  and  we  stood  upon  the  pier,  to  my 
unutterable  astonishment,  a  voice  rang  out,  in  very  good 
English:  ''Hello,  Senator  Green!"  I  exclaimed,  'Tor 
God's  sake,  who  are  you!"  "Why,  don't  you  know  me!" 
he  replied;  "I  am  'Nick,'  who  used  to  peddle  fish,  in 
Cleveland!'  Sure  enough.  It  was  not  sufficient  to  be 
saluted,  by  name  in  Vienna,  Paris,  and  on  Ludgate  Hill, 
even  here,  on  the  shores  of  the  Bay  of  Naples,  I  could 
not  escape  them.  Fortunate  for  us  all,  however,  that 
"Nick"  discovered  us;  for,  his  knowledge  of  all  things 
pertaining  to  Naples,  added  two-fold  to  our  amusement 
and  instruction,  while  we  remained  there. 

If  I  were  writing  a  "book  of  travels,"  I  could  finish 
it  by  plunging  into  the  details  of  this  visit;  but,  such  is 
not  the  case,  and  I  must  hasten  on.  However,  I  must 
state  that,  the  museum  of  curios,  from  the  exhumed  city 
of  Pompei,  the  Acquarium,  with  wonders  of  the  sea  which 
we  had  never  dreamed  of,  the  great  cathedral,  the  ruins 
of  Pompei  and  the  volcano  of  Vesuvius,  are  a  few  of  the 
sights  which  every  one  must  search  out  and  see.  I  will 
transcribe  here  an  account  of  my  q^cent  of  Mount  Ve- 
suvius, which  I  w^rote  immediately  after,  while  the  facts 
were  fresh  in  my  mind  and  the  inspiration  still  actuated 
me.    The  description  follows: 

Especially  interesting,  at  the  present  time,  are  my 
brief  notes  on  my  visit  to  and  ascension  of  Mount  Vesu- 
vius. In  view  of  the  delightful,  but,  I  must  confess, 
somewhat  arduous  ascent  of  this  wonderful  volcano, 
which  I  made,  in  company  with  a  linguistic  German  vade 
me  cum,  who  was  to  me  a  source  not  more  of  convenience 
than  of  diversion  and  amusement. 

I  regret,  now,  that  I  did  not  note  the  name  of  the 
town  or  village,  at  which  we  hired  our  carriage,  for  the 
first  part  of  our  trip.  I  note,  however,  that  we  paid,  each, 
11  s  for  room  in  the  carriage  and  a  saddle  horse  and 

29Q 


guides;  then  we  began  to  "Mount  Vesuve"  as  our  experi- 
ment was  euphoniously  called. 

A  drive  of  from  three  to  five  miles,  brought  us  to  our 
first  station,  or  halting  place;  here  we  discarded  our  car- 
riage, laid  aside  all  unnecessary  clothing  and  appendages, 
and  stimulated  ourselves  with  a  potation  of  some  mild  but 
invigorating  wine — wine  which  our  guides  denominated, 
'*Nica  Vesuve  wine!" — wine  which,  in  very  fact,  was 
pressed  from  grapes  which  had  grown,  in  the  language 
of  Macaulay,  *'on  the  soil  which  had  been  fertilized  by 
the  fiery  deluge  of  a  volcano." 

The  foregoing  preliminaries  having  been  arranged, 
we,  each,  mounted  his  saddle  horse,  and,  with  bated 
breath,  proceeded  "onward  and  upward." 

To  properly  appreciate  the  romantic  novelty  of  our 
position,  one  must  not  forget  that  neither  of  us  had  rid- 
den horse-back  for  many  years;  at  least,  this  writer  can 
aver  that,  it  was  the  first  time  in  some  twenty-five  years 
that  he  had  bestridden  a  horse,  or  any  other  quadruped; 
and  his  awkwardness  on  this  occasion  is  more  easily 
imagined  than  described. 

To  add  to  the  embarrassment  and  discomfort  of  our 
condition,  the  guides  who  clung,  each  to  the  tail  of  the 
horse  ridden  by  his  respective  traveler,  had  a  way  of 
cudgeling  the  horse  into  a  brisk  trot,  followed  by  a  wild 
gallop,  at  intervals  of  every  half  mile,  when  we  would  be 
borne,  as  by  the  wind,  through  space,  at  the  imminent 
risk  of  being  thrown  over  the  horse's  head  and  injured. 

As  it  was,  we  each  rode,  during  those  spurts,  more 
on  the  neck  than  on  the  back  of  our  horse,  clinging,  with 
might  and  main,  (like  another  John  Gilpin)  to  the  neck 
and  mane  of  the  horse,  for  safety !  We  shall  never  forget 
those  spurts! 

Strange  to  relate,  when  the  horses  "slowed  up,"  and 
we  summoned  courage  to  look  (sheepishly)  behind,  ex- 
pecting to  discover  the  guides  in  the  "dim    distance," 

291 


there  they  were,  at  the  very  heels  of  our  ''fiery  steeds," 
still  clinging  to  the  tails,  cudgel  in  hand;  but  no  longer 
shouting  their  "auch!  auch!  auch!"  which  had  served  to 
spur  the  horses  to  that  velocity,  well  night  fatal  to  us. 

Upon  the  whole,  I  am  not  sure  that  I  would  not  as 
willingly  take  my  chances  with  the  present  eruption  as 
with  the  hardy  mountaineers  and  their  horses,  under 
similar  conditions. 

From  time  to  time  during  our  ascent,  through  ashes 
ankle  deep  and  fine  cinders,  we  would  come  to  little  iso- 
lated circular  enclosures,  constructed  of  the  r,lag  which 
was  omni-present,  and  tenanted  by  a  lonely  "Dago,"  who 
offered  us  still  more  and  more  of  the  '*nica  Vesuve  wine." 

The  mein  of  the  wine  merchants,  met  under  these 
circumstances,  was  such,  and  their  bearing  was  at  onco 
so  imperious  and  persuasive,  that,  we  never  refused  to 
patronize  them,  with  the  result  that,  our  spirits  never 
once  flagged,  and  we  felt  that,  we  were,  all  "jolly  good 
fellows"  as  we  climbed  higher  and  higher. 

There  came  a  time,  however,  when  our  horses  re- 
fused to  go  another  inch;  they  would  not  budge!  What 
was  done,  what  to  do,  a  glance  told  us  both.  There 
confronted  us  as  if  genii  of  the  lava  beds,  four  other  stal- 
wart guides,  two  carrying  a  leather  strap  looped  at  lx)th 
ends,  which,  being  thrown  over  one  of  their  shoulders, 
they  clung  to  it  in  front,  while  we,  tenaciously  hung  on, 
behind.  The  two  other  guides,  each  grasped  his  traveler 
near  his  hips,  and  "boosted"  him  upwards,  while  we  all 
climbed. 

Although  we  were  climbing  ?riOuntain  he<^';hts,  yet,  it 
seemed  to  me  as  though  I  were  in  a  veritaMe  hell,  where 
all  the  fires  had  gone  out.  0,  it  was  dismal !  Seried  rows 
of  excoriae,  piled  like  Ossa  on  Pelion — little  mountains 
on  the  m.ountain  side.  If  all  the  cinders  raked  out  of  all 
the  blast  furnaces  in  the  whole  world,  f*'om  that  time 
whereof  the  memory  of  man  runneth  not  to  the  con- 

292 


traiy,  had  been  dumped  on  the  sides  of  that  mountain, 
they  would  have  been  as  nothing  compared  to  the  vast 
accumulation  of  "slag,"  which  that  terrible  volcano  had 
vomited  forth  in  even  our  own  Christian  era. 

But,  now  we  come  to  the  region  of  the  clouds  ^  Yes,  we 
are  actually  enveloped  in  a  cloud !  and  we  are  in  danger  of 
being  drenched.  Strange  to  say,  we  encounter  another 
group,  which  contains,  in  the  midst — a  lady !  "Nica  Ital- 
ian lady,"  says  my  guide.  Yes,  and  a  very  brave  lady  too, 
if  she  is  not  literally  carried. 

We  leave  them  behind.  "Good  bye!"  I  shall  al- 
ways recall  with  romantic  interest,  the  lady  I  met  within 
the  cloud. 

Now  we  are  nearing  the  summit ;  already,  somewhat 
of  grumbling  and  sputtering  are  audible  to  us.  Up  here 
on  the  shoulder  or  summit  of  this  volcano  are  to  be  seen, 
here  and  there,  small  fissures,  out  of  which  issues,  slowly 
small  quantities  of  lava! 

My  guide  demands  a  copper  coin  of  me,  which  I  hand 
to  him ;  he  fuses  it  into  some  of  the  lava,  making  for  rne 
a  cup  or  nest-like  souvenir  of  this  arduous  if  not  peril- 
ous trip.  I  have  a  feeling  that,  where  fissures  abound, 
the  crust  upon  which  we  tread  must  be  thin  if  not  friable. 
'Tread  lightly,  Pat!"  Nevertheless,  I  approach  the  edge 
of  the  great  smoky-steamy  crater.  I  lie  upon  my  stom- 
ach! and  peer,  cautiously  into  the  bowels  of  this  mysteri- 
ous mountain — 

"Into  the  jaws  of  death 
Into  the  mouth  of  hell!" 

Nothing  to  be  seen,  save  blackness,  steam,  condensed 
gloom— an  Inferno,  sure  enough!  "Be  careful,  sir," 
shouts  my  intelligent,  thoughtful  guide.  "An  English 
gentleman,  did  that,  a  year  or  two  ago ;  the  crust  at  the 
edge  ci-umbled,  and  he  went  head-first  down  into  the 
crater!    "Ye  Gods!    I  pray  thee  let  me  go  hence!" 

293 


This  writer  wriggled  backwards  (afraid  even  to 
stand  up) ,  and  speedily,  put  space  between  him  and  that 
entrance  to  the  worse  than  Stygian  darkness  and  gloom. 

Now  comes  the  descent!  Farewell  crater,  farewell 
white  humid,  fleecy  clouds — farewell  Vesuvius — "And, 
oh,  you  mortal  engine  whose  rude  throat  th'  immortal 
Jove's  dread  clamours  counterfeit  farewell!" 

Down,  down,  on  another  side,  we  go — by  leaps  and 
bounds,  through  fine  pea-like  cinders,  striking,  in  our 
descent,  at  times,  almost  up  to  our  hips,  in  this  harmless 
debris.  Down,  down,  until,  finally,  we  reach  vegetation- 
reach  our  horses,  which  have  been  brought  to  this  point 
for  us ;  and  soon,  again,  we  are  mounted  in  our  carriage ; 
and,  ere  long,  we  reach  our  first  station,  where  we  don 
our  discarded  apparel  and  finish  our  descent,  followed  by 
as  hungry-looking,  clamorous  a  rabble  as  ever  one  could 
wish  to  escape,  who  pleaded  for,  aye — in  some  instances, 
even  dem.anded  such  small  coins  as  we  could  give  them. 

One  little  fellow,  not  to  be  out-done,  followed  our  car- 
riage, on  a  run,  for  at  least  a  mile;  nor  w^ould  he  desist, 
until  he  received  some  small  token  of  our  admiration  of 
his  courage  and  persistency.  The  village  next;  then  the 
train ;  after  that,  the  lovely  Bay  of  Naples  and  "Nar-po-li" 
(Naples)  then  in  mourning,  herself. 

The  remains  of  Pompeii,  v/hich  the  ashes  of  Vesu- 
vius completely  buried  and  hermetically  sealed  up,  stand  a 
"stone's  throw"  from  the  volcano ;  and,  of  course,  we  vis- 
ited them,  and  rambled  through  them,  accompanied  by 
our  guide.  Mrs.  Green,  Mrs.  Graham  and  this  writer 
stood  amidst  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  temple  of  Isis,  while 
Doctor  Graham  took  a  "snap-shot"  of  us.  It  still  exists 
— somewhere,  I  know  not  in  whose  possession. 

The  strange  and  wierd  scenes  which  confront  one, 
while  strolling  amidst  these  ruins — which  carry  us  back 
or  bring  down  to  us  the  dwellings,  the  commercial  trans- 
actions, the  frescoes  and  even  the  petrified  bodies  of  some, 

294 


of  the  inhabitants  of  this  old  town,  as  they  existed  in  the 
year  79  A.  D.  are  well  worthy  of  our  consideration ;  and 
at  times  the  writer  feels  like  exclaiming,  with  the  Psalm- 
ist, 'What  is  man,  that  thou  are  mindful  of  him,  or  the 
son  of  man,  that  thou  visitest  him!" 

No  brief  description,  en  passant,  can  do  justice  to 
this  subject  one  must  either  visit  the  place  or  read  ac- 
counts  of  it  in  books  of  travel  and  cyclopaedias. 

The  following  morning,  we  were  enroute  for  the 
Eternal  City— Rome;  and  as  we  were  whirled  through 
the  beautiful  scenery  and  inhaled  the  odoriferous  atmos- 
phere—redolent of  the  sweet  fragrance  of  orange  blos- 
soms and  flowers  of  varied  hues,  we  felt  that  we  were, 
indeed,  fortunate,  under  the  circumstances,  and  enjoyed 
it  beyond  description. 


295 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

ROME— FLORENCE— VENICE— VIENNA. 

Ere  long,  however,  the  cross  and  dome  of  far-famed 
Saint  Peter's  Church  loomed  before  us,  and,  the  next  mo- 
ment, the  musical  "Roma,'*  greeted  our  ears,  from  the 
''guard."  I  knew  it  was  Rome,  before  the  announcement 
was  made ;  for,  chiseled  on  the  end  of  the  great  depot,  on 
either  side  of  the  main  entrance,  in  bold  relief,  were  two 
groups,  one  representing  the  fabled  she  wolf,  discover- 
ering  the  abandoned  babies — Romulus  and  Remus,  who, 
afterwards,  founded  the  city ;  and  the  other,  showing  how 
the  wolf  gave  nurse  to  them ;  and,  thus,  saved  their  lives. 

From  my  infancy,  I  had  had  a  penchant  to  visit  and 
view  ancient  ruins;  to  gaze  upon  an  old  relic,  whether  it 
were  a  deserted  mansion,  an  old  book  or  my  "Grandfath- 
er's Hat;"  it  was  all  the  same,  provided,  they  were  old; 
and  now  being  in  ancient  Rome,  with  its  treasures  antique 
and  historical,  no  time  was  to  be  lost  before  beholding 
them. 

Imagine  with  what  mingled  feelings,  of  pleasure  and 
awe,  I  traversed  the  "Corso"  and  other  streets,  more  or 
less  known  to  the  historian ;  until,  at  length,  there  loomed 
up  before  me,  in  all  its  magnificent  proportions,  that  fa- 
mous ruin — the  Coliseum!  0,  noble  edifice!  wonderful 
structure!  This  then,  is  what  remains  of  the  huge  pile, 
in  the  construction  of  which,  Titus,  that  victorious  Ro- 

296 


man,  on  his  return  from  the  conquest  and  destruction  of 
Jerusalem,  sacrificed  so  many  of  the  seventy  thousand 
young  Jews  whom  he  brought  captive  to  Rome! 

No  wonder  they  sank  beneath  their  burdens,  and  were 
beaten  by  cruel  task-masters,  until  their  backs  were  livid 
with  horrid  stripes,  and  they  gave  up  the  ghost !  Within 
those  tripple  massive  walls  is  where  the  gladiators,  unfor- 
tunate in  war,  made  rude  sport  of  human  life,  to  please 
the  whims  of  a  populace  gone  mad  with  a  morbid  thirst 
for  blood;  but  for  whom  the  ''handwriting  on  the  wall" 
was,  even  then,  visible!  And  you,  0,  Coliseum!  could 
you  but  speak,  what  sighs,  and  groans  and  shrieks, 
wrung  from  that  "noble  army  of  martyrs,"  would  you  not 
tell  of!  They  who  were  laying  deep  the  foundation  of 
our  Christian  religion,  while  the  maddened  throng,  not 
yet  content,  were  howling — "Cliristianos  ad  leones!" — the 
Christians  to  the  lions ! 

I  enter  into  the  inner  circles — there,  in  the  center 
of  the  great  arena  stood  the  well-trained,  powerful  gladia- 
tor, sword  in  hand,  awaiting  the  on-rush  of  the  savage 
beasts  from  the  cells  surrounding  him.,.  Here  are  the 
passages  leading  to  the  vaults  beneath,  whence  issued 
the  wild-beasts  and  the  human  victims;  and  over  there, 
the  passages  through  which  the  dead  bodies  were  bome, 
to  be  entombed,  perchance,  in  the  Catacombes  near  by. 
Would  you  have  a  description  of  this  most  wonderful 
ruin,  turn  to  some  cyclopedia  or  guide  book.  It  is  not 
mine  to  give  any  adequate  account  of  it.  The  learned 
and  famous  French  lady,  Madame  DeStael,  whom  even 
Napoleon  feared  and  detested,  in  her  great  w^ork  of  fic- 
tion Corinne,  has  given  such  vivid  and  instructive  word- 
pictures  of  Rome  and  Venice,  that,  it  would  richly  repay 
the  interested  to  read  the  story,  if,  indeed,  there  be  at 
hand,  any  English  translation  of  it. 

We  clamber  up  into  the  galleries,  where,  once,  the 
beauty  and  fashion  of  Rome  could  be  seen,    and    from 

297 


which  the  pitiless  mockeries  and  gibes  and  raileries  an- 
swered back  the  sobs  of  anguish  and  the  cues  of  agony. 
The  heart  sickens;  let  us  go  and  loo):  upon  some  object 
less  suggestive  of  human  misfortune. 

Now,  we  tread  the  Appian-way,  alon.f^  which  victor- 
ious generals  trod,  returned  from  scenes  of  conquest  in 
foreign  lands — glutted  with  blood,  rich  with  booty  and 
captives.  Yes,  there  stands,  to  this  day,  in  a  state  of 
almost,  perfect  preservation,  tho  Arch  of  Constantine, 
erected  by  the  emperor  to  commemorate  his  victory  over 
Maxentius,  A.  D.  312,  spanning  this  historic  road.  Near 
by,  and  in  front  of  the  Coiiseu rn,  are  the  ruins  of  the 
Meta  Sudans,  Vv^here,  it  is  said,  the  gladiators  w^ere  ac- 
customed to  bathe,  after  the  bloody  contests  of  the 
arena. 

But  what  is  the  name  of  this  narrow  way  along 
which  we  now  tread,  hedged  on  either  side  by  the 
crumbled  ruins  of  once  majestic  structures.  Why,  this 
is  the  Via  Sacra,  the  principal  street  of  ancient  Rome, 
which  ran  from  the  valley  between  the  Caelian  and  Es- 
quiline  hills,  through  the  arch  of  Titus  and  past  the  Ro- 
man Forum,  to  the  Capitol.  Here,  on  the  right,  were  the 
palaces  of  the  Caesars;  nought  now  remains  but  a  mass 
of  indistinguishable  ruins.  These,  in  the  rear,  v/ere  the 
Royal  Stables,  presenting,  somewhat,  of  their  former  ap- 
pearance. 

Think  of  this ;  here  is  the  identical  arch  which  Titus 
erected  during  the  first  century  of  our  Christian  era,  to 
commemorate  the  victories  of  his  father  and  himself,  at 
Jerusalem;  on  the  inner  face,  may  still  plainly  be  seen, 
representations  of  the  "golden  candlesticks"  and  other 
sacred  articles;  taken  from  t^ie  Temple.  However,  let 
me  quote:  'Where  the  Via  Sacra  crosses  the  Forum, 
close  to  the  temple  of  Antonius,  a  mound  of  earth  may 
be  seen,  evidently,  the  remains  of  the  Temple  Tomb  of 
Julius  Caesar,  built  by  Augustus,  in  29  B.  C.    Here,  also, 

298 


stood  the  arches  of  Fabius  and  Augustus;  and  between 
this  part  of  the  Forum  and  the  Temple  of  Castor  and 
Poiiux  was  the  quagmire  into  which  Metius  Curtius  is 
said  to  have  been  pkmged." 

The  Temple  of  Pan,  or  Pantheon,  further  along,  is 
almost  perfect ;  although  it  was  built  A.  D.  27,  by  Agrip- 
pa,  son-in-law  of  Caesar  Augustus.  The  portico  of  this 
temple  is  110  feet  in  length,  and  forty-four  in  width; 
and  contains  sixteen  granite  columns.  The  height  from 
the  pavement  to  the  summit  is  143  feet. 

The  Pantheon,  tho,  not  at  first,  intended  for  religious 
rites,  yet,  it  was  used  for  such  puii)oses,  down  to  A.  D. 
392,  when  the  last  sacrifice  was  offered  on  its  altar.  Un- 
der the  Cupola,  in  a  bronze  sarcophagus,  the  mortal  re- 
mains of  Victor  Emmanuel  lie  in  state,  for  whom  a  grand 
commemoration  is  celebrated  in  the  church,  with  military 
pomp,  once  a  year,  during  the  month  of  January." 

I  might  add  that,  the  Government  has  constructed, 
near  by,  a  monument  to  the  honor  and  memory  of  Vic- 
tor Emmanuel,  which  is,  perhaps  the  most  costly  and 
august  of  any  in  that  city  of  costly  monuments. 

I  visited  and  inspected,  also,  the  Catacombs  of  Saint 
Calixtus ;  within  which,  we  were  told,  fourteen  popes  and 
170,000  Christians,  were,  at  one  time,  entombed ;  the  re- 
mains of  Saint  Theresa,  it  is  said,  were  discovered  in 
these  catacombs.  In  609  when  Pope  Boniface  IV  conse- 
crated the  Pantheon  to  Christian  worship,  he  hauled 
away  twenty-eight  wagon-loads  of  bones,  and  deposited 
them  under  the  high  altar  in  that  building;  and  in  817, 
Pascal  I  removed  two  thousand  three  hundred  bodies, 
and  placed  the  relics  in  the  church  of  Saint  Prasoede. 

This  practice  of  carrying  aw^ay  bones,  continued  un- 
til all  the  bones,  except  a  few  fragmentary  pieces,  were 
gone.  These  catacombs  are  supposed  to  be  connected 
with  the  great  system  of  catacombs  to  be    seen    under 

299 


Rome  and  in  its  vicinity,  in  which  the  early  Christians 
sought  refuge,  and  worshipped. 

It  is  estimated,  by  those  who  have  made  the  subject 
a  study,  that,  the  length  of  the  united  passages  of  all 
these  catacombs,  would  equal  five  hundred  and  fifty  Eng- 
lish miles. 

I  searched  out  the  old  Ghetto,  of  unhallowed  repute, 
the  district  of  Rome  within  which  the  persecuted  Jews 
were  restricted,  before  our  present  humane  era;  but  the 
progress  of  civilization  has  sw^ept  the  Ghetto  out  of 
existence ;  it  has  gone,  like  gladiatorial  contests  and  burn- 
ing at  the  stake  (except  in  some  of  our  old  slave-holding 
states),  and  human  slavery. 

Saint  Peter's  Church,  with  its  miraculous  Dome  and 
the  great  Cross  which  surmounts  it,  was,  to  me,  easily, 
the  object  of  foremost  importance  in  Rome.  I  ''mounted" 
the  Dome  and  climbed  up  into  the  transept  of  the  Cross, 
whence  I  look'd  out  upon  the  entire  enclosure  of  the 
Eternal  City.  It  was  a  proud  day  for  us;  one  which  we 
can  never  forget. 

The  dimensions,  the  High  Altar,  the  wonderful 
Mosaics,  the  separate,  lateral  chapels,  and  the  grandeur 
of  the  sacred  music  which,  at  almost  any  hour  of  the 
day,  can  be  heard  floating  in  the  air,  like  sweet  incense, 
from  some  direction,  furnish  ^?  environment  the  like 
of  which  cannot  be  duplicated  elsewhere  on  this  earth. 
I  loved  it,  I  rejoiced  to  behold  it  and  drink  deep  the  in- 
spiration which  flowed  from  it.  Albeit,  I  was  not  a  Ro- 
man Catholic — being  a  Protestant-Episcopalian,  which 
we  contend,  is,  historically,  also  Catholic ;  but,  for  the  love 
and  honor  of  God  and  his  son  Jesus  Christ,  everything 
I  saw,  seemed  "meet  and  proper." 

The  Church  of  Saint  John  Lateran,  not  for  distant 
from  St.  Peter's,  while  it  is  very  much  inferior  in  size  to 
the  former,  is  yet,  much  older;  in  fact,  it  is  regarded  as 
the  first  church  in  Rome,  for  two  reasons — ^because  it 

300 


stands  on  the  site  of  the  original  church,  in  which  St. 
Peter  celebrated  Mass  (the  little  table  used  by  him  still 
being  shown),  and  again,  because  it  is  the  parochial- 
Cathedral  Church  of  the  Pope— not  Saint  Peter's,  as 
many  suppose.  If  the  decorations  of  Saint  Peter's 
Church  can  possibly  be  surpassed,  then,  they  are  sur- 
passed by  those  of  St.  John  Lateran ;  but,  in  this  matter, 
"seeing  is  believing." 

On  Mount  Pincio,  in  the  suburbs  of  Rome,  I  found 
the  fashionable  park  of  Rome.  Here  were  throngs  of  the 
people,  and  a  grand  procession  of  beautiful — rich 
equipages.  As  I  was  employing  "shank's  mares,"  after 
resting  from  my  climb  and  silently  observing  the  novel 
sight,  I  retraced  my  steps ;  and,  in  my  hotel  room,  wrote 
a  letter  to  the  Cleveland  Leader,  which  was  duly,  pub- 
lished. 

MEETING  THE  POPE. 

Going  to  the  office  of  the  American  Express  Company 
on  the  day  of  our  anticipated  departure  for  Florence,  in- 
deed, after  our  trunks  had  been  checked,  I  was  handed 
a  letter;  and,  upon  opening  it,  I  discovered  that  it  was 
a  letter  of  introduction  from  Rev.  Father  William  Mc- 
Mahon,  editor  of  the  Catholic  Universe,  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  to  Rev.  John  P.  Farrelly,  who  was  then  at  the 
head  of  the  American  College,  in  Rome,  requesting  him 
to  use  his  influence  to  secure  for  me  and  my  wife, 
a  meeting  with  the  "Pope  of  Rome," — His  Holiness  Pius 
X,  now  deceased.  The  courtesy  of  this  letter  of  introduc- 
tion was  secured  for  me  through  the  kindly  offices  of  my 
daughter-in-law,  Mrs.  Agnes  Geraldine  Green,  the  be- 
loved wife  of  Captain  William  Roscoe  Green,  my  eldest 
living  son,  who  w^as  then  (and  still  is)  a  devoted  com- 
municant of  the  Catholic  Church. 

Immediately  going  to  the  great  palace  of  the  Vatican, 
I  easily  came  in  touch  with  the  private  secretary  of  Rev- 

301 


erend  Farrelly,  now  Rt.  Rev.  John  P.  Farrelly,  Bishop  of 
the  Diocese  of  Ohio.  After  dehvering  my  letter  to  the 
distinguished  prelate  and  taking  his  instructions,  in  the 
premises,  the  secretary  delivered  to  me  a  note  addressed 
to  Monseignor  Bisleti,  Maggiodomo  of  the  Pontifical 
household  (Major  Domo,  we  call  it,  in  English). 

On  presenting  the  note  to  this  august  official,  he 
looked  straight  at  me,  smiled,  blandly,  and  extended  his 
hand,  in  a  friendly  way.  I,  in  our  raw  western  way,  seized 
the  hand,  pressed  it,  slightly,  and  gave  it  a  hearty  shake. 
"Ah,"  exclaimed  his  highness — the  Major  Domo,  "you 
are  from  America!"  "Yes,  your  highness,"  I  replied,  "I 
am  from  the  United  States  of  America."  "And  you  are 
not  a  Catholic?"  he  added;  "and  you  wish  to  meet  His 
Holiness — ^The  Pope?"  I  said,  it  was  tnie,  that,  I  was 
not  a  Catholic ;  but,  that,  my  son,  mentioned,  and  his  wife 
were  faithful  Catholics.  Hovv  long  do  you  remain  in 
Rome?"  he  queried.  "Our  trunks  are  checked  for  Flor- 
ence," I  suggested;  "but,  in  order  to  meet  The  Pope,  we 
will  await  your  good  pleasure." 

After  this  colloquy,  he  presented  me  to  his  own  sec- 
retary, who  gave  me  a  card  of  instructions — ^partly  in 
the  Italian  language,  for  our  guidance,  in  dressing  our- 
selves; and  bade  me  to  be  present  in  the  Cortile  St.  Da- 
masco,  a  large  hall,  at  the  head  of  the  "Scala  Pia" — a 
grand  stair-way,  at  12  o'clock,  on  the  following  day. 
Needless  to  say,  we  obeyed  our  instructions,  literally ;  and 
were  there  at  the  appointed  time. 

The  instnictions  called  for  a  black  costume  with  a 
short  black  veil,  for  Mrs. Green;  while  this  writer  was 
required  to  don  an  "evening  costume," — the  conventional 
"dress  suit"  with  the  immaculate  white  shirt  front  and 
tie. 

Since  all  save  our  traveling  attire  were  packed  in  our 
absent  trunks,  we  had  recourse  to  a  costumer,  near  by, 
who,  for  a  reasonable  consideration,  furnished  us  nicely. 

302 


However— I  say  it  with  regret— I  forgot,  when  disrob- 
ing (after  the  reception) ,  to  transfer  back  again,  to  my 
own  vest  pocket,  a  beautiful  fountain  pen,  a  Christmas 
present,  from  my  wife  and  children— which,  out  of  an 
abundance  of  precaution,  I  had  put  into  the  pocket  of 
my  hired  vest.  Whether  or  not  that  polite  costumer  is 
still  holding  that  regretted  pen  for  me— after  eleven 
years — who  can  tell ! 

Promptly,  as  the  hour  of  twelve  o'clock  rang  out,  we 
reached  the  landing  of  the  Scala  Pia,  were  courteously  re- 
ceived and  shown  to  seats;  there  were  several  others  who 
were  there  on  a  similar  mission;  and,  together,  we  ex- 
pectantly, awaited  the  summons. 

In  the  meantime,  however,  we  were  not,  in  the  least, 
afflicted  with  ennui ;  for  there  was  much  going  on  which, 
being  novel  and  interesting,  enchained  our  attention. 
Here  and  there  flitted  the  richly  attired  house  messen- 
gers, in  their  beautiful  brocaded,  crimson  costumes  and 
faithful,  at  their  posts,  were  the  far-famed  Swiss  guards, 
wearing  their  parti-colored  uniforms,  and  in  pike-men's 
armour,  and  much  besides. 

Soon  the  signal  came  to  us;  and,  following  the 
usher  (?),  we  slowly  passed  through  a  series  of  richly 
furnished  rooms — some  of  them  "throne-rooms,"  hung 
with  rare  and  costly  Gobelin  tapestries,  the  like  of  which 
we  had  never  before  beheld.  I  think  we  passed  through 
ten  different  rooms,  counting  the  large  reception  room,  in 
which  we  were,  at  first  detained;  finally,  we  entered  a 
room  which  adjoined  the  one  in  which  Pius  X.  Pontifix 
Maximus — The  Pope  of  Rome,  was  awaiting  our  arrival. 
In  this  ante-chamber  of  honor,  stood  several  officers-in- 
waiting,  wearing  with  becoming  dignity,  as  part  of  their 
uniform,  "gold  crested  helmets,  and  gold  cross-belts, 
which  focused  the  sun's  rays."  Their  gold  epauletts  gave 
them  a  grand  military  appearance. 

After  the  lapse  of  a  minute  or  two  a  noble  cardinal, 


clad  in  his  violet  colored  vestments  and  wearing  his  scar- 
let cap,  appeared,  followed  by  Pius  X.  We  kneel  on  a  low, 
velvet  covered  bench,  as  we  behold  the  benign,  paternal 
form  and  features  of  this  Man  of  God.  Every  feature, 
every  lineament  of  his  kindly  face  bespeaks  a  benedic- 
tion. 

Noiselessly,  he  approaches  us,  extending  to  each  one  of 
us  his  hand,  bearing  the  ring  with  the  papal  seal  of  au- 
thority. Each  one  of  us  kissed  the  ring,  and  he  passed 
on;  however,  last,  but  not  least,  he  approached  a  darkly 
bronzed  little  man,  who,  from  his  apparel  and  demeanor, 
convinced  me  that  he  was  a  humble  Priest  of  the  Church, 
one  w^ho,  perchance,  had  just  returned  from  some  far 
distant  sphere  of  service,  where,  in  sunshine  and  in  shad- 
ow, he  had  been,  for  long  years,  toiling  for  God  and  his 
Church. 

One  kiss  of  the  ring  did  not  satisfy  this  faithful  child 
of  the  Church — he  would  see  more  of  the  "Holy  Father," 
— and  he  imprinted  kiss  after  kiss,  not  only  on  the  ring, 
but  on  the  hand  that  wore  it.  The  Pope  said  kindly  words 
to  him;  and  then — we  all  separated — for  aye. 

My  late  deceased  wife,  Mrs.  Annie  L.  Green,  during 
this  ceremony,  held  in  one  of  her  hands  three  rosaries 
which  she  had  bought,  for  loved  ones  at  home ;  and  when, 
after  the  reception,  His  Holiness,  standing  under  the 
canopy  which  is  above  the  thione,  pronounced  a  benedic- 
tion, in  the  Latin  tongue,  we  felt  that  they  would  be 
doubly  precious  to  our  Catholic  children  and  "Mother" 
Bolden,  on  our  return  to  Cleveland.  In  due  time,  she  pre- 
sented them;  and,  quite  naturally,  they  were  gratefully 
accepted.  My  present  wife  and  I,  were  solemnly  im- 
pressed, when,  a  few  years  later,  we  heard  Rev.  Fr.  Mal- 
loy,  in  pronouncing  a  funeral  discourse  over  the  remains 
of  "Mother"  Bolden,  characterize  her  as  "a  saint;"  and 
we  rejoiced  to  know  that,  at  least,  we  had  contributed 
our  mite  towards  her  happiness,  as  stated  above. 

304 


From  that  reception  room,  we  wended  our  way  back 
again,  through  the  richly  decorated,  gilded,  tapestried 
rooms — back  again  into  the  great  Royal  Court  of  the 
Vatican — the  Vatican,  gi'andest  and  richest  in  treasures 
of  all  palaces  in  the  world.  Down  the  grand  stairway  we 
descend  again;  and  now,  once  more,  we  are  under  the 
dome  of  heaven — the  blue  Italian  skies  look  down  upon 
us,  and  golden  vernal  sun  shines  upon  us,  while  v^e  in* 
hale  the  balmy  atmosphere,  which  bewitches  the  birds  to 
assert  themselves  in  rhapsodies  of  song. 

We  have  met  the  Pope!  His  great  big  fatherly 
heart  could  not  endure  the  horrors  of  that  damnable 
*World  War."  He  could  not  endure  to  see  the  throats  of 
his  faithful  priests  and  children  cut,  while,  precious  treas- 
ures of  sacred  worth,  cathedrals  and  altars,  were  beaten 
down  and  desecrated;  and  so,  he  gave  up  the  ghost;  and 
was  gathered  with  those  worthies  who  had  gone  before 
him,  into  the  Heavenly  Fold. 

Early  the  next  morning,  having  been  provided  with 
a  list  of  "pensions" — the  accepted  designation  of  the 
large,  semi-hotels,  which  accommodate  many  thousands 
of  tourists,  in  Italy  and  other  Mediterranean  states,  we 
followed  our  baggage  to  Florence — the  beautiful,  famous 
city,  at  the  foot  of  the  Appennines— on  both  sides  of  the 
river  Arno,  named  for  her  profusion  of  lovely  flov/ers. 

On  our  way,  in  the  taxi — still  accompanied  by  Doctor 
and  Mrs.  Graham — our  enthusiastic  ''jehu"  cracked  his 
resounding  whip  and  urged  forward  his  steeds  with  well 
nigh  electrical  rapidity ;  suddenly  a  halt !  So  forceful  and 
pronounced,  that,  it  almost  piled  us  in  a  heap,  warned 
us  of  our  danger.  Investigation  proved  to  us  that,  we 
were  right  up  against  the  forward  wheels  of  a  tram-car; 
and  our  lives  had  been  saved  as  by  a  miracle.  Verily, 
"in  the  midst  of  life,  we  are  in  death!"  We  crossed  the 
famous  Arno  river,  over  one  of  several  long  bridges,  and 
in  a  few  minutes,  we  were,  snugly  ensconced  in  a  com- 

305 


fortable  suite  of  a  pension.  May  I  remark  here,  that, 
never,  in  any  instance,  since  we  parted  from  our  great 
ship,  had  we  experienced  any  trouble  or  even  inconven- 
ience, by  reason  of  the  fact  that,  we  were  colored  people; 
and  even  our  friends,  the  Grahams,  who  were  "well-to^ 
do"  white  people,  expressed  deep  regret  when,  at  Flor- 
ence, we  had  reached  the  "dividing  of  the  road,"— and 
they  were  from  Missouri,  too.  ' 

After  remaining,  for  a  few  days,  in  this  ancient  city, 
wandering  around,  scanning  hurriedly  many  great 
"master-pieces"  in  miles  of  picture  galleries,  in  the  Uffizi 
and  Pitti  Palaces ;  strolling  through  great  cathedrals,  and 
clim.bing  to  the  top  of  the  great  Campanile  tower;  we 
began  to  weary  of  the  excitement,  and  long  for  a  change ; 
so,  we  gave  our  traveling  companions  our  blessing — bowed 
our  heads  to  receive  theirs,  and  turned  our  faces  in  an- 
other direction — they  for  Cologne;  we,  for  Paris,  and 
back  to  London.  Pvight  here,  it  must  be  stated,  that,  the 
following  references  made  to  Venice  and  Vienna,  relate 
to  a  prior  trip  made  by  me,  m  1893,  when  I  toured  all 
alone.  In  Paris,  I  was  given  the  address  of  Bamfido,  by 
the  associate  of  young  James  Gordon  Bennett,  who  had 
succeeded  his  illustrious  father,  in  the  ownership  of  the 
New  York  Herald,  and  the  enjoyment  of  the  paternal 
legacies  bequeathed  to  him. 

Mr.  Bennett  was,  just  then,  spending  a  good  deal  of 
his  time  at  Monte  Carlo,  on  his  yacht  and  in  the  boule- 
vards and  places  of  Parisian  amusements ;  so,  I  frequent- 
ly saw  his  alter  ego,  and  miade  the  most  of  him. 

We  arrived  in  Venice  by  moonlight;  and  it  was,  to 
me,  a  wierd,  spectral  scene— that  of  being  "sculled" 
through  the  labarynthine  canals,  in  the  night  season, 
housed  up  in  the  plush  lined  little  cabin  of  the  gondola. 
When  the  bo^an  would  get  to  the  turning  of  the  ca- 
nal, he  would  signal,  by  saying  Auch!  which  sound  was 
echoed  and  re-echoed.    I  had,  before  leaving  home,  just 

306 


finished  reading  Dickens'  Little  Dorritt,  and  the  experi- 
ences in  Venice,  of  Mrs.  General  and  the  General  family, 
were  still  in  my  mind.  I  could  almost  hear  and  see  them, 
in  their  pleasures  and  perplexities ;  and  that  same  Corinne, 
the  heroinne  of  Mme.  DeStael's  story,  of  which  mention 
has  been  made,  was,  ever  and  anon — in  my  mind.  The 
Cathedral  of  St.  Marc,  very  ancient;  the  Doges  Palace, 
equally  so ;  the  Bridge  of  Sighs ;  the  Execution  Chamber, 
down  in  the  deep  dungeon,  with  the  grooves  leading  to 
the  three  sm.all  holes,  through  which  the  blood  of  the 
executed  victim  escaped,  after  decapitation;  the  Grand 
Canal,  lined,  on  both  sides  with  the  palaces  of  ancient 
days;  the  palace  in  which  Othello  wooed,  won  and  mur- 
dered Desdemona;  the  palace  in  which  Lord  Byron  lived 
and  drank  down  inspiration  for  his  Don  Juan  and  other 
love  poems ;  the  palace  of  Caesar  Borgia  and  others  of  the 
notorious,  famous  Borgia  family;  the  Rialto,  which  was 
old  when  Shakespeare  wrote  of  it.  These  and  many 
other  wonderful  and  suggestive  objects,  to  say  nothing 
of  som.e  of  the  greatest  canvases,  by  many  of  the  most 
illustrious  painters  who  have  ever  lived,  kept  me  busy 
several  days,  and  parts  of  nights  to  my  ''heart's  con- 
tent." 

It  was  jolly  and  picturesque  on  the  Piazza  (pro- 
nounced Pe-at-za)  St.  Marco;  at  night.  A  large  well- 
trained  ''brass-band,"  discoursed  sw^eet  and  classical  mu- 
sic, and  the  beautiful  Venetian  ladies  with  their  stylish 
escorts  promenaded — not  "to  the  lascivious  pleasing  of  a 
lute,"  as  Shakespeare  puts  it,  but  rather,  to  the  dulcet 
cadences  of  the  band,  bathed  in  the  silvery  sheen  of  that 
Itlaian  Moon-light.  It  was  a  queer,  poetic  experience, 
which  I  enjoyed,  when  I  had  to  board  a  gondola  and  sail 
to  the  bank ! 

Here,  again,  I  must  warn  the  dear  reader,  that,  for 
a  more  lucid  and  comprehensive  description  of  Venice  as 
well  as  others  of  which  I  briefly  speak,  he  must  turn  to 

307 


well  known  and  easily  accessible  books  of  travel;  I  am 
only  a  viator,  illustrating,  in  a  humble  way,  the  depths 
from  which  a  colored-American  has  climbed  and  the 
heights  to  which  he  has  attained,  in  a  shoii:  life. 

Lo,  we  will  sail  back  to  the  rail-way  station,  in  the 
moniing;  and,  hence,  we  will  betake  us  to  Vienna,  the 
"most  beautiful  city  in  Europe,"  according  to  Mr.  Chas. 

F.  Brush. 

VIENNA,  THE  BEAUTIFUL. 

When  I  arrived  in  beautiful  Vienna,  on  the  seventh 
day  of  May,  1893,  a  fleecy  snow  about  six  inches  deep, 
was  covering  the  ground;  to  say,  I  was  surprised,  puts  it 
mildly,  so  far  advanced  was  the  spring  season;  but,  be- 
fore night,  it  had  all  disappeared,  before  the  mid-day  sun. 

After  registering,  at  a  reputable  hotel,  I  sallied  forth 
and  found  "Cook's  office,"  for  "Cook,"  as  all  travelers  on 
the  Continent  know,  is  of  very  great  advantage  to  the 
tourist,  in  many  respects.  Going  into  the  main  reception 
room,  where  were  collected  numerous  persons,  I  ex- 
claimed, in  a  tone  of  voice  loud  enough  to  be  heard  all 
over  the  room :  "Is  there  any  gentleman  here  who  speaks 
EngHsh?"  A  voice,  almost  familiar,  answered,  "Yes, 
Senator  Green;  I  speak  English!"  Drawing  mutually, 
near  to  each  other,  I  inquired  of  him  as  to  his  identity. 
"Why,"  said  he,  "I  represent  The  WilHam  Edwards  Com- 
pany of  Cleveland ;  and,  I  rode  in  the  same  car  with  you 
from  Columbus  to  Cleveland,  a  few  weeks  ago." 

Of  course,  we  had  an  interesting  conversation,  to- 
gether, after  that;  and  I  look  back  to  that  incident  as 
being  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  of  my  trip. 

In  concluding  the  last  chapter,  I  remarked  the  ad- 
miration of  Mr.  Chas.  F.  Brush,  for  Vienna,  and,  indeed, 
my  visit  to  that  capital  city  v/as  due  almost  entirely  to 
his  wise  suggestion.    I  have  never  regretted  it. 

Here,  I  felt  myself  more  "at  home,"  than  in  any  other 
city  visited  by  me,  London,  only,  excepted.    This  feeling 


I  attribute,  in  great  part,  to  three  circumstances,  which 
are  familiar  to  my  home  life : 

First,  the  GeiTnan  population  of  Cleveland  is  so  nu- 
merous, that,  the  people  of  the  same  race,  in  the  streets 
of  Vienna  reminded  me  forcibly  of  them; 

Secondly,  the  German  language,  spoken  by  every 
one,  there,  reminded  me  of  the  same  tongue  which  is 
heard  in  the  streets  and  marts  of  trade,  so  frequently,  in 
my  home  town;  and. 

Thirdly,  the  weather,  on  May  7th,  and  8th,  was  just 
such  cold,  wet  and  disagreeable  weather  as  one  frequent- 
ly experiences  near  Lake  Erie  in  the  months  of  March 
and  April. 

I  shall  spend  a  little  more  of  time  and  space  in  re- 
ferring to  my  sojourn  in  this  city,  than  I  have  with  ref- 
erence to  some  other  great  cities,  in  my  route ;  especially 
because,  she  is  now  the  forlorn  victim  of  her  own  folly — 
the  folly  of  her  old  Emperor,  deceased — and  some  of  his 
unfortunate  advisers,  who  "still  live  and  breathe."  That 
once  noble,  rich  and  influential  city,  today,  cut  off  from 
her  former  associates,  cast  down  from  her  high  pedestal, 
her  currency  depreciated,  her  resources  almost  exhausted ; 
the  women  and  children,  in  many  instances,  starving  ir 
her  streets ;  she  sits,  metaphorically,  like  another  "Rachel, 
weeping  for  her  children;  refusing  to  be  comforted,  for, 
her  children  are  not" — doing  a  bitter  penance,  for  the 
sins  of  others. 

Now,  here  is  a  brief  description  of  my  Vienna,  as  I 
found  her,  twenty-seven  years  ago: — "set  on  a  hill" — 
plateau;  built  not  more  for  stability  and  business,  than 
for  beauty;  bountifully  watered  by  a  tributary  stream 
of  "the  beautiful  blue  Danube;"  ornamented  by  shade 
trees  and  shrubbery,  statuary,  squares,  parks  and  Gothic 
cathedrals;  and  peopled  by  as  rosy-cheeked  and  health- 
ful a  population  as  ever  one  could  wish  to  behold. 

309 


The  streets  which  were  aW  smoothly  and  substan- 
tially paved,  with  cubes  of  granite,  asphaltum  and  "Ni- 
diolson"  blocks,  upon  a  concrete  foundation,  a  foot  thick, 
were  not  allowed  to  become  filthy;  but,  a  small  anny  of 
men  and  boys,  with  brooms  and  pans,  were  ever  alert, 
to  prevent  accumulations.  The  equipages  with  their  "out- 
riders" and  '*foot-men",  were  both  numerous  and  bril- 
liant, being  drawn  by  some  of  the  best  looking  and  most 
spirited  horses  in  the  world. 

In  scanning  the  names  of  the  streets,  I  found  some 
most  suggestive  of  historical  events,  some  of  them,  sad 
events.  There,  for  instance,  was  the  street.  Grand  Duke 
Maximilian.  This  name  recalled  the  fact  that,  I  was  in 
the  home  of  that  sadly  unfortunate  young  nobleman,  who, 
at  the  behest  of  his  superior  lords  and  Napoleon  III, 
invaded  Mexico,  at  a  time  when  the  fate  of  our  glorious 
Union  and  the  freedom  of  four  millions  of  human  beings 
hung  in  the  balance;  and  attempted,  in  defiance  of  our 
Monroe  Doctrine,  to  obtain  a  lodgment  on  these  western 
shores  for  European  despotism. 

As  I  traveled  through  some  of  those  countries  and 
noted  their  streets,  restaurants,  parks  and  boulevards, 
were  sprayed  with  Military;  when  I  considered  the  great 
wealth  and  aggregate  resources  of  these  monarchies,  I 
felt  like  congratulating  my  own  fellow  citizens  on  the  fact 
that,  early  in  our  national  existence,  we  drew  the  line; 
and  that,  to  this  day,  we  have  enforced  our  doctrine — 
''America  for  Americans,"— hands  oif ! 

The  K.  Kj  Hofburg  theatre  is  grand  in  its  propor- 
tions, massive  in  its  stinicture  and  elaborate  in  its  interior 
decorations.  Looking  at  it  from  a  distance,  one  is  forcibly 
reminded  of  the  Grand  Opera  House  in  Paris;  tho,  of 
course,  the  Paris  structure  is  sui  generis — unique — in- 
comparable. 

The  Parliament  House  is  an  imposing  pile,  semicir- 
cular, concave,  in  front,  and  has  wings  on  either  side  of 

310 


the  central  body.  Groups  of  large  Corinthian  pillars  give 
this  building  a  truly  classical  appearance.  At  each  cor- 
ner, on  top  of  the  structure,  looking  towards  each  of  the 
cardinal  points,  are  collosal  groups  of  bronze  statuary 
representing  Peace  and  Victory,  drawn  in  chariots  by 
three  great  horses,  rampant.  Peace  is  extending  the  olive 
branch,  and  Victoiy,  the  laurel  wreath. 

Then,  there  is  that  grand  monument  of  pure  Gothic 
architecture.  St.  Stephen's  cathedral,  very  old  and  quite 
unique.  Its  central  spire  almost  kisses  the  clouds,  in  a 
sense;  while  clustered  around  it  is  a  group  of  small  ones; 
and  these  combined,  produce  the  effect  intended  by  the 
originators  of  Gothic  architecture,  that  of  their  forest 
home. 

The  Goths  (from  whom  this  style  of  architectui'e 
takes  its  name)— and  the  Vandals,  came  trooping  down 
from  their  mountain  fastnesses  and  bleak  houses,  into 
the  fertile  plains  and  flower  gardens  of  Italy  and  France. 
They  took  possession  of  what  they  found;  but,  never 
could  efface  from  their  memories  the  scenes  of  their 
former  environment. 

So,  when  they  began  to  worship  our  God  and  build 
huge  temples,  within  which  to  perform  their  devotional 
duties,  they  endeavored  by  means  of  this  Gothic  style 
to  imitate  nature,  as  seen  in  the  forest.  Hence,  the  trunks 
of  trees,  imitated  in  the  formation  of  the  columns;  and 
the  limbs,  twigs  and  buds,  spreading  out  and  sustaining 
the  roof ;  the  pointed  arches,  combining  to  make  the  nave 
and  transept  resemble  an  arbor;  to  say  nothing  of  the 
niches,  here  and  there,  like  clefts  in  rocks,  holding 
statuary;  the  horrid  gargoyles,  imitating  fierce  animals 
of  the  forest,  peering  over  the  eaves,  discharging  the 
waste  water  from  the  roof;  the  stained  glass  windows 
giving  that  twilight-cathedral  effect  within,  imitating 
the  beauties  of  the  illumined  heavens;  and  the  spires, 
ornamented  with  swelling-bursting  buds,  pointing  like 

311 


tall  pines,  straight  heavenward.  Such  is  Gothic  Archi- 
tecture, as  seen  in  some  parts  of  Europe. 

Two  government  buildings,  located,  respectively,  on 
opposite  sides  of  a  lovely  garden  or  platz — one  containing 
the  Museum  of  Fine  Arts,  and  the  other,  the  Museum  of 
Natural  History.  In  the  Platz  are  to  be  seen  groups  of 
stauary,  and  a  heroic  monument,  with  a  statue  of  Maria 
Therese,  late  Empress  of  Austria. 

I  spent  the  greater  part  of  one  day,  rambling 
through  the  long  galleries  of  the  Museum  of  Fine  Arts; 
and,  if  you  would  like  to  know  something  of  a  very  few 
of  its  famous  masterpieces,  I  will  tell  you. 

There  were  two,  by  Michael  Coxie,  who  flourished  be- 
tween 1499  and  1592,  representing  the  Garden  of  Eden, 
before  and  after  the  Fall.  The  difference  between  in- 
nocence and  guilt,  as  pictured  in  the  countenances  of 
Adam  and  Eve,  before  and  after  they  had  sinned,  stamps 
the  picture  as  one  worthy  of  great  note.  Some  of  Franz 
Snyder's  paintings  come  next,  representing,  almost  to 
perfection,  all  the  various  fishes,  amphibiae  and  curiosi- 
ties of  the  sea. 

One  hangs  around  them  a  long  time  and  reflects  on 
the  marvelous  skill  and  patience  of  this  great  painter. 

In  another  corner,  I  came  upon  a  neat  painting  by 
De  Crayes,  1584-1669,  representing  the  removal  of  the 
Saviour  from  the  cross. 

It  is  the  most  realistic  picture  I  have  ever  seen. 
There,  you  see  the  pierced  side,  with  blood  and  water  is- 
suing from  it,  just  as  if  one  stood  in  the  very  presence; 
the  gaping  wounds  in  the  hands,  feet  and  side,  move  to 
pity  and  beget  in  one,  feelings  of  awe.  Around  the 
wounds,  in  the  hands  and  feet,  the  flesh  is  discolered  and 
swolen,  telling  the  story  of  his  agony  and  death,  0!— so 
vividly.  The  pose,  the  features,  the  tints  and  all  the  char- 
acteristics of  this  wonderful  painting  are  such  as  to  sug- 
gest a  better  life,  to  the  one  who  beholds  and  reflects. 

312 


Another  picture  which  enchains  one  to  the  spot,  is 
entitled,  ''Saint  Ignats  Casting  Out  Devils."  In  this 
painting  Saint  Ignats  stands  upon  an  elevation,  in  front  of 
a  great  Cathedral  or  other  consecrated  pile;  around  him 
crowd  a  multitude  of  people  who  have  come  or  been 
brought  to  him,  to  have  devils  cast  out  of  them.  The 
skill  of  the  great  painter  seems  to  have  been  mainly  ex- 
ercised in  depicting  the  miseries  of  those  possessed  of 
devils. 

With  features  and  limbs  distorted  in  every  possible 
shape,  they  present  a  horrible  sight.  One,  in  particular, 
is  a  woman  who  occupies  a  position  in  the  foregi'ound. 
She  is  prostrated;  her  countenance  is  livid;  her  eyeballs, 
with  a  stony  glare,  protrude  from  their  sockets;  her 
tongue  lolls  out;  her  hair  is  disheveled;  altogether,  she 
presents  an  appearance  which,  once  seen,  can  never  be 
forgotten. 

At  a  distance  from  St.  Ignats,  making  their  escape, 
is  a  group  of  horned-spike  tailed  devils,  glaring  back- 
w^ards,  as  they  flee. 

In  another  gallery  of  this  museum,  Tintoretto  gives, 
as  a  nude  study.  Beauty  in  the  Bath.  There  are  those 
who  take  exception  to  this  style  of  picture,  as  being  too 
suggestive,  for  the  young,  if  not,  indeed,  downright,  vul- 
gar; but,  as  inteii)reted  by  this  great  master,  the  pose 
is  so  graceful,  the  execution  so  artistic  and  free  from  any 
impure  suggestion,  that,  I  failed  to  note  any  improper  ef- 
fect produced.  Only  feelings  of  admiration  for  the 
noblest,  best  and  most  beautiful  of  God's  creatures — the 
"human  form  divine." 

One  piece  of  statuary,  and  I  will  have  finished.  It  is 
a  group  of  three  personages,  chiseled  out  of  one  solid 
block  of  marble.  A  Roman  soldier,  clutched  in  his  left 
hand,  holds  aloft  an  ''innocent,"  aged  about  18  months; 
his  right  hand  rests  on  the  hilt  of  his  sword;  while  the 
babe,  conscious  of  its  danger,  extends  its  little  hands, 

313 


with  supplicating  cries,  towards  his  frantic  mother,  who, 
struggling,  half  prostrate  at  the  soldier's  feet,  strives,  in 
rain,  to  stay  the  blow. 

This  group  alone,  is  sufficient  to  immortalize  any 
artist ;  it  is  by  Incenzo  Francaroli. 

I  have  many  times  since  that  visit  to  Vienna,  longed 
to  visit  her  once  again,  and  make  a  stay  more  or  less 
protracted;  but,  age  coming  on  apace,  and  the  unspeak- 
able ravages  of  the  "World  War,"  have  put  it  beyond  my 
power;  however,  possessing  that  God-given  faculty — 
memory,  I  can  still  live  over  those  happy  days,  and  learn 
to  be  content  with  them. 


314 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  AUSTRIAN  TYROI^PARIS— IRELAND. 

The  enormous  expense  of  constructing*  railroads  in 
southern  and  central  Europe,  dawns  upon  one  as  he  passes 
through  those  regions  the  mountain  ranges  of  the  Alps 
and  Appennines,  give  a  succession  of  heights  and  valleys 
to  be  negotiated,  which,  at  times,  almost  startle  one.  The 
deep  cuts  through  rocky  regions;  the  spanning  of  yawn- 
ing chasms  and  tunneling  for  miles  and  miles,  through  tha 
bowels  of  the  earth,  pile  up  the  expense  to  fabulous  pro- 
portions; and  did  not  governments,  at  times,  come  1o  the 
fore  and  assist  in  the  consummation  of  these  works,  so 
necessary  and  convenient  for  all  the  people,  it  is  ques- 
tionable, whether  they  would  be  accomplish r-cc. 

As  being  apropos  to  the  subject  under  consideration, 
I  recall  some  reflections  made  by  a  learned  commentator 
on  that  passage  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  wherein  the 
Apostle  Paul  says,  to  the  Corinthians,  *  *  "and  though 
I  have  all  faith,  so  that  I  could  remove  mountains;"  the 
writer  referred  to,  maintains  that  faith  has  removed 
mountains  in  the  only  sense  practicable;  for,  that,  when 
faith,  which  begets  and  stimulates  works,  bores  a  pas- 
sage-way through  the  mountain,  and  gives  both  ingress 
and  egress — the  mountain  being  no  longer  an  obstacle,  is 
practically  removed. 

One  noticeable  peculiarity  in  the  construction  of  lo- 
comotives used  on  the  railroads,  lies  in  the  fact  that,  they 

315 


have  no  "cow-catchers"  attached  to  them;  not  for  the 
reason,  however,  that  Artemas  Ward  gave  when  he  was 
travehng  in  the  west,  long  ago;  ''Conductor!"  Ward  ex- 
claimed, "I  can't  see  of  what  use  these  cow-catchers  are 
to  anyone.  The  trains  move  so  slowly  that,  there  is  no 
possibility  of  running  over  a  cow;  but,  if  they  were 
taken  off  the  front  of  the  engine  and  fastened  to  the  rear 
of  the  train,  they  might  prevent  some  ill-mannered  cow 
from  intruding  on  the  passengers." 

Speaking  of  tunnels;  the  Mount  Cenis  tunnel,  be- 
tween France  and  Italy,  has  them  all  beaten,  so  to  speak ; 
it  took  the  train  twenty-seven  minutes  to  pass  through 
it,  going  at  what  seemed  a  high  rate  of  speed. 

So  much  has  been  written  by  tourists  concerning  the 
grandeur  and  beauties  of  Alpine  scenery,  that,  it  seems 
w^ell  nigh  presumptions  for  me  to  attempt  to  enlarge 
upon  the  same  subject;  but,  with  becoming  modesty,  I 
trust,  I  will  venture  a  few  suggestions.  The  Appennine 
Mountains  covered  in  the  month  of  May  with  the  first 
offerings  of  spring,  and  bathed  in  an  atmosphere  laden 
with  the  odors  of  the  sweet  acacia  blossoms,  seem  to  be 
clothed  in  Nature's  "most  beautiful  garment;"  but,  when 
in  the  midst  of  the  snow-covered  Alps,  in  that  portion  of 
Switzerland,  watered  by  the  beautiful  river  Inn  and  the 
sources  of  the  Rhine,  I  found  that  the  half  had  not  been 
told. 

Remembering  the  old  saying — "poeta  nascitur,  non 
fit,"  a  poet  is  born,  not  made,  I  hesitate  to  attempt  even 
rhyme,  not  to  mention  poetry ;  but,  who  that  possesses  a 
soul,  can  be  whirled  through  that  section  of  Switzerland, 
between  Insbruck  and  Zurich ,  in  the  spring-time,  and 
restrain  his  muse,  if  he  has  one ;  such  an  one  must  be  dull, 
indeed. 

Imagine  yourself  passing  over  a  bridge  v»'hich  leaps 
across  a  chasm,  "full  fifty  fathoms  deep!"  In  the  fore- 
ground, you  see,  in  the  form  of  an  ellipse,  a  peaceful  val- 

316 


ley,  watered  by  a  pretty  rippling  stream,  as  pure  as  nec- 
tar and  as  blue  as  the  cerulean  sky  above  it,  ever  and 
anon,  dashing  over  its  rocky  bed,  which  imparts  to  it 
that  unspeakable  beauty  which  no  canvas  has  yet  por- 
trayed ;  while,  nestling  within  the  shadow  of  some  tower- 
ing height,  a  little  village  bides  its  time,  until  the  return 
of  those  who  till  the  fruitful  fields  or  guard  the  lleecy 
flocks. 

Over  all,  some  distance  removed,  like  sentinels,  grim 
and  gray,  Olympus  heads,  crowned  with  perennial  snow, 
look  down  upon  the  clouds. 

Small  wonder  then,  that  the  writer,  influenced  by 
such  surroundings,  should  mount  and  give  loose  rein  to 
his  impetuous  Pegasus,  and  for  once,  at  least,  sing  of — 


Those  dreamy  heights, 

Where  Nature's  cradle  ever  rocks; 

And  verdant  vales,  where  shepherds  watch  their  feeding  flocks; 

Wliere  waters  blue  with  murmuring  cadence  never  still, 

Prolong  the  sound 
Of  humming  spindles,  in  the  mill; 
And  flowers  so  sweet, 
Where  busy  bees,  with  ceaseless  move, 

Inspire  our  faith 
And  whisper  in  our  soul,  that, 

God  is  love! 


It  is  no  wonder  that  these  Swiss  people  are  brave  and 
honorable,  for,  reared,  amongst  these  crags  and  cliffs  and 
indurated  to  hardships  and  perils,  from  infancy,  it  is  nat- 
ural for  them  to  be  as  rugged,  brave  and  free,  as  their 
mountain  homes  and  the  pure  atmosphere  which  they 
breathe;  and,  in  the  march  of  time,  they  have  not  only 
achieved  their  own.  religious  and  political  liberties,  but 
have  rendered  valuable  assistance  to  others,  along  the 
same  lines. 

Here,  we  learn  of  William  Tell  and  Winkehied.  The 
one  defied  the  tyrant  Gesler,  while  the  other,  at  the  su- 
preme moment  of    his    country's    peril,    converged    the 

817 


bristling  spears  of  the  enemy  towards  his  own  breast, 
and  thus,  "made  way  for  Uberty." 

The  shores  of  the  beautiful  lake  on  which  the  city  of 
Zurich  is  built  present  a  scene  which  will  some  day  in 
the  future,  be  rivaled  by  the  south  shore  of  our  Lake 
Erie,  in  places.  Along  the  whole  distance  pretty  towns 
and  villas  have  sprung  into  existence,  with  flower-gar- 
dens, green  lawns,  trellised  vines  and  the  like,  which  give 
one  the  impression  as  the  train  passed  from  one  to  an- 
other, that  he  is,  indeed,  in  fairy  land,  at  last. 

There  are  numerous  little  docks,  for  the  convenience 
of  canoes  and  yachtsmen;  and  as  our  train  sped  by,  we 
could  see  the  numerous  white-winged  craft  gliding  over 
the  bosom  of  the  blue  lake,  for  the  pleasure  and  health 
of  their  occupants.  Snug  bath-houses  too,  were  dotting 
the  shores,  at  convenient  distances,  which  proved  that, 
the  people  in  that  vicinity,  at  least,  were  taking  advan- 
tage of  this  precious  and  oft-neglected  privilege.  I 
would  like  to  become  ecstatic  over  the  golden  sun  sinking 
behind  the  snow-capped  mountains,  etc.,  etc.,  but  space 
forbids.    Vale,  Zurich!   Au  revoir. 

PARIS  AND  IRELAND. 

Since  making  my  first  visit  to  Paris,  in  1893,  so  many 
changes  have  taken  place,  in  the  appearance  of  the  big — 
gay  city,  and  so  numerous  have  been  the  persons,  from 
the  United  States,  who  have  visited  this  mecca  of  the  gay 
and  fashionable,  that,  what  I  shall  say  in  the  following, 
may  be  read  more  as  contrasting  the  metropolis  of  the 
present  with  that  of  the  past,  than  as  a  correct  descrip- 
tion of  the  city  as  it  now  appears ;  nevertheless,  even  the 
contrast,  may  appeal  to  those  who  are  prone  to  seeking — 
"something  different." 

When  I  was  leaving  my  home  for  an  outing,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  "big  pond,"  the  story  entitled.  Trilby — 
by  Dumourier,  predicated  on  conditions  and  transactions, 

318 


amongst  the  art  students  who  have  their  habitat  in  the 
famous  Latin  Quarter  of  Paris,  was  "the  rage;"  everyone 
who  cared  for  the  novel  and  spicy  recitals,  pertaining  to 
the  grisette  and  even  the  demimonde  of  the  joyful  city 
was,  devouring  it  with  avidity ;  hence,  many  of  my  genial 
friends  said  to  me,  by  way  of  jest,  I  suppose,  "Be  sure 
and  write  us  a  letter  from  Trilby-land!"  In  giving  my 
promise  to  do  so,  I  little  dreamed  that  I  had  undertaken 
a  contract  most  difficult  to  perform.  The  difficulty  arose 
not  so  much  from  a  scarcity  of  materials  out  of  which  to 
write  such  a  letter,  as  out  of  a  superabundance  of  data 
from  which  I  dared  select. 

What  most  astonishes  the  average  wayfarer,  in 
Paris,  with  reference  to  social  vices,  is  not  so  much  that 
they  abound  as  the  fact  that  they  are  patent  to  the  casual 
observer,  and  flaunt  themselves  almost  in  the  faces  of 
passers-by,  on  the  public  thoroughfares. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  these  conditions  exist,  to  the 
last  degree  of  baseness,  in  other  great  centers  of  popula- 
tion ;  but,  the  police  restrictions  and  repressions  are  such 
that,  the  veil  is  drawn — the  screen  is  placed,  and  doors 
are  bolted;  while  in  Paris  (at  that  time,  bear  in  mind), 
a  man  could  run  and  see  the  carryings  on,  in  some  parts 
of  the  great  city. 

However,  I  well  knew  that,  I  could  write  no  Trilby 
letter,  unless  I  visited  the  Quartier  Latin,  or  Latin  Quart- 
ier  as  we  call  it.  I,  in  my  ignorance  of  the  French  pronun- 
ciation went  along  inquiring  for  the  Quartier  Latin  just  as 
tho  I  were  in  the  streets  of  London;  but  I  received  a 
blank  stare  and  a  negative  nod  of  the  head,  instead  of 
the  desired  information.  Finally,  when  my  patience  had 
been  worn  thread-bare,  I  wrote  the  name  on  my  memor- 
andum book,  and  presented  it  to  a  passer-by ;  he  scanned 
it,  and  exclaimed  "Ah,  ze  Cash-er  Lat-an!"  and  gave  me 
all  needed  information  for  finding  it.  The  Latin  Quarter 
is  not  remote  from  the  heart  of  the  city;  it  is  just  across 

319 


the  river  Seine,  a  mere  "stone's  throw"  from  the  ancient 
cathedral;  Notre  Dame,  a  few  minutes  walk  from  the 
Palace  of  Justice  and  in  easy  communication  with  the 
public  buildings  of  the  nation  and  city. 

In  this  Quarter,  there  are  many  stately  buildings, 
having  in  the  center  of  them,  or  at  one  end,  large,  tall 
entrances,  arched  at  the  top ;  and  one  invariably,  reads  on 
a  placard  near  by,  the  inscription,  "a  louer,  appartements 
or  ateliers;"  that  is  to  say,  rooms  for  rent — in  brief.  It 
was  in  one  of  these  buildings,  Du  Maurier  informs  us  in 
his  readable  book,  the  Taffy,  Little  Billee,  Tiilby,  Sven- 
gali  and  others  of  the  coterie  held  their  social  gatherings ; 
and  beyond  doubt,  it  was  in  some  of  the  numerous  bras- 
series, in  the  immediate  vicinity,  where  they  w^ere  accus- 
tomed to  resort,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  their  re- 
freshments— ^both  liquid  and  solid. 

These  brasseries  are  a  species  of  cafe  and  saloon 
blended,  having  large  awnings  in  front  of  them,  covering 
the  side-walk,  and  sheltering  guests  from  the  sun  and  in- 
clement weather.  Upon  the  side-walk,  in  front  of  the 
brasserie,  were  numerous  small  tables,  with  chairs,  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  convivial  guests — a  motly 
group  of  art  students  from  the  four  corners  of  the  earth ; 
and  their  cheerful-frivolous  o-risettes,  young  girls,  who, 
after  the  end  of  their  day's  work,  spend  the  remainder 
of  the  evening  in  the  manner  which  DuMaurier  has  so 
vividly  depicted. 

The  time  to  behold  them  in  their  glory  w^as  between 
the  hours  of  8  and  12,  at  night;  when  the  students,  re- 
laxed from  their  studies,  and  the  Trilbies  go  out  for  a 
promenade  and  refreshments.  I  would  not  have  the 
reader  infer  that  these  grisettes  are  all  or  even  princi- 
pally, persons  of  unchaste  character;  for,  on  the  contrary, 
many  of  them  are  girls,  poor  but  honest ;  who,  sometimes, 
adopt  this  method  of  securing  recreation,  evenings,  after 
the  day's  work  is  ended. 

320 


Not  far  from  the  Quartei%  were  the  Barracks,  where 
many  soldiers  were  quartered;  and  one  could  frequently 
see,  mingled  with  the  gay  and  lively  throng,  which  is  al- 
ways to  be  found  there,  many  zouzous  and  Dodos  in  their 
bright,  catchy  uniforms,  as  in  the  days  of  Little  Billee 
and  Trilby. 

There  too,  were  students,  conspicuous  in  long  flow- 
ing gowns,  parti-coloured  cloaks  and  mantles,  and  pecu- 
liar shaped  head-gear,  *'a  smokin'  of  their  pipes." 

In  one  of  these  large  buildings,  I  found  many  con- 
veniences, pertaining  to  a  club  room,  such  as  small  tables, 
chairs,  desks  and  writing  materials ;  also,  cards,  chess  and 
checker  boards,  and  reading  miscellany ;  w^hile,  in  the  hall 
overhead,  the  wierd  and  seductive  sounds  of  stringed  in- 
struments, the  shuffling  of  feet  and  the  boisterous  peals 
of  laughter,  were  easily,  suggestive  of  the  same  old 
"can-can"  which  we  read  about,  in  the  famous  novel. 

Well  might  Durien  sing  of  the 

"Plaisir   d'amour  ne    dure    qirn   moment; 
Chagrin   d'amour   dure   tout   le   vie." 

That  is  to  say;  the  pleasures  of  passion  (love)  endure 
only  for  the  flitting  moment;  the  vexations  of  love  last 
all  our  life. 

Hard  by,  as  I  have  said,  the  towers  of  old  iVotre 
Dame,  black  and  gray  with  age,  loom  up  towards  heaven, 
hundreds  of  feet;  chiseled  deep  in  the  broad  buttresses 
of  this  cathedral,  on  the  facade  of  the  same,  one  reads 
the  words  "Liberte,'  Egalite,'  Fraternite,'  "  as  if  those  he- 
roes of  the  French  Revolution,  who  struggled  for  recog- 
nition, in  the  long  ago,  distrusted  even  heaven,  itself,  and 
were  determined  to  cut  the  sentiment  so  deep  in  the  stone, 
that  it  could  not  be  effaced.  Yet,  I  have  seen  words 
carved  equally  deep  in  the  stone  obliterated;  as,  witness 
the  effacement  of  the  name  of  the  original  architect  of 
the  ''Old  Court  House,"  on  our  Public  Square,  which  was 

321 


done  after  he  expressed  joy  at  the  assassination  of  the 
immortal  Lincoln,  on  the  day,  on  which  he  died.  There- 
fore, I  infer,  from  the  fact  that  the  French  inscription, 
still  remains  intact,  that  the  French  people  still  endorse 
that  grand  sentiment,  and  proclaim,  to  all  the  v/orld— 
Liberte',  Egalite',  Fratemite'. 

Also,  closely  allied  with  the  Latin  Quarter  is  the 
Hotel  Dieu,  which  stands  diagonally  opposite  to  the  old 
cathedral.  This  hospital  is  a  large,  soUd  structure,  the 
capacity  of  which  must  be  often  tried,  if  one  would  judge 
by  the  large  crowds  which  stand  in  waiting,  at  its  doors, 
every  morning.;  men,  women  and  children,  of  all  ages,  a- 
motly  crowd  of  the  blind,  halt  and  afflicted ;  such  a  crowd 
as  crowded  around  our  Savior,  when  he  ministered  to  the 
needs  of  all  who,  in  Faith,  came  to  him. 

Perhaps  it  was  this  Hotel  Dieu,  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Quartier  Latin,  which  suggested  to  Du  Mauriej  those 
lines  which  he  put  into  the  mouth  of  ''Trilby,"  v/heii,  un- 
der the  hypnotic  influence  of  Svengali,  she  sang,  at  the 
Parisian  Cirque,  so  mournfully, 

"Ma   chandelle  est  morte. 
Je  n'ai  plus  feu! 
Ouvre  moi  ta  porte 
Pour  I'amour  de  Dieu!" 

"My  candle  is  out,  I  have  no  fire  (light)  ;  Open  to  me  your 
door,  for  the  love  of  God." 

Almost  directly  in  the  rear  of  the  old  cathedral,  is 
the  Morgue,  on  the  bank  of  the  Seine,  which  cuts  so  con- 
spicuous a  figure  in  the  story  of  poor  Trilby.  0,  v/hat  a 
sombre,  suggestive  place  it  is  (or  was) !  Listen  to  that 
arch-fiend  Svengali's  description  of  it.  "There  is  a  little 
ugly  gray  building  there;  and,  inside,  are  eight  slanting 
slabs  of  brass,  all  in  a  row,  like  beds  in  a  school  dormi- 
tory; and,  one  fine  day,  you  shall  lie  asleep  on  one  of 
those  slabs — you  Trilby,  who  would  not  listen  to  Sven- 
gali, and  therefore,  lost  him!  and  over  the  middle  of 


you  will  be  a  leather  apron,  and  over  your  head  a  little 
brass  tap;  and  all  day  long  and  all  night,  the  cold  water 
shall  trickle,  trickle,  trickle — all  the  way  down  your 
beautiful  white  body  to  your  beautiful  white  feet,  til  they 
turn  green;  and  your  poor,  damp,  muddy  draggled  rags 
will  hang  above  you,  from  the  ceiling,  for  your  friends  to 
know  you  by;  drip,  drip,  drip!  But  you  will  have  no 
friends;  and  people,  of  all  sorts — strangers,  will  come 
and  stare  at  you,  through  the  big  plate-glass  windows — 
Englanders,  chiffoniers,  painters  and  sculptors — work- 
men, plon-plons,  old  hags  of  women;  and  they  will  say: 
"Ah!  what  a  beautiful  woman  v/as  that!" 

Ugh!  It  makes  one  shudder  to  read  it  in  the  book; 
and  here  I  stood,  all  alone,  silently  gazing  upon  the  sad 
remains  of  just  such  a  creature,  fished  out  of  the  Seine, 
the  night  before — perhaps! 

On  the  occasion  of  my  visit  to  that  same  Morgue,  I 
found  three  bodies  reclining  on  those  brass  slabs — "all 
of  a  row" — one  was  that  of  a  woman  of  middle  age ;  there 
could  still  be  traced,  in  the  even,  comely  features,  su- 
per-abundance of  lustrous  brov>'n  hair  which  lay  in  rich 
profusion  around  the  bare  shoulders,  long  eye  lashes, 
heavy  eye-brows,  even,  white  teeth — which  were  appar- 
ent through  the  slightly  parted  lips,  some  of  that  beauty 
which,  in  former  days,  perchance,  made  her  the  belle  of 
some  social  circle.  The  two  others  were  men — one,  far 
advanced  in  life,  the  other,  past  its  meridian — both  gray, 
one  bald.  The  features  of  one  were  placid,  calm,  as  if  in 
sleep ;  while  those  of  the  other  were  distorted,  the  whole 
countenance  reminding  one  of  Sir  Walter  Scott's  lines : 

"Nor  can  old  age  a  wrinkle  trace 
More  deeply  than  despair." 

There  was  a  large  bruise  on  the  forehead,  indicating 
that,  he  had  met  death,  perchance,  through  violence. 

823 


Those  were  the  bodies  of  unknown  dead,  exposed 
there  to  the  pubhc  gaze  for  identification. 

It  cannot  now,  be  truthfully  said,  in  the  language  of 
Svengali,  that  the  water,  ''all  day  long  and  all  night,  shall 
trickle,  trickle,  trickle,  etc.;  for,  on  the  contrary,  there 
is  now,  no  leather  apron  put  on  the  middle  of  the  corpse, 
nor  any  ''little  brass  tap,"  over  the  head;  but  the  bodies, 
though  somewhat  exposed  about  the  neck  and  shoulders, 
are  quite  covered,  as  to  the  remainder  of  the  form;  and 
their  "damp  clothing"  is  cleansed  and  laid  on  top  of 
them.  The  glass  case,  within  which  the  bodies  recline, 
on  the  "slanting  slabs,"  is  now  kept  cold  by  a  refriger- 
ating process,  such  as  is  used  in  commercial  affairs. 

On  the  front  wall  of  the  Morgue,  hung  photographs 
of  those  who  had  been  buried  before  identification;  so 
that,  a  final  means  remains  of  identification,  long  after 
hope  has  been  resigned,  of  tracing  them. 

As  I  turned  to  leave  this  sad  place,  the  bells  in  the 
ancient  belfry  of  Notre  Dame,  chimed  out  the  morning 
hour,  in  sad,  sweet  cadences;  while  in  a  small,  green 
park,  hard  by — just  within  the  shadow  of  the  church, 
numerous  *'boozy"  men  and  women  courted  that  rest 
which  the  past  night  had  denied  them. 

"0,  it  was  pitiful! 

In  that  great  city  full, 

Home    they   had   none."  , 

The  fact  that  those  three  public  institutions  w^ere,  so 
to  speak,  in  one  group,  is  quite  significant — 

— The  Cathedral — a  shelter  for  the  soul, 
— The  Hotel  Dieu,  to  heal  the  body;  and 
— The  Morgue,  for  the  Last  Eemains! 

The  book  stalls  on  the  banks  of  the  Seine  were  ob- 
jects of  much  interest  to  many,  with  literary  inclina- 
tions: The  palace  of  the  Luxembourg  where,  annually, 
the  masterpieces  of  the  students  of  the  Latin  Quarter, 

32-1 


and  others,  are  placed  on  exhibition;  the  great,  durable 
bridges  which  span  the  river;  the  Eifel  Tower,  kissing 
the  clouds,  almost;  the  Trocadero,  remnant  of  a  great 
World's  Fair;  the  Invalides,  sacred  to  the  memory  of 
France's  great  dead;  the  Louvre,  mecca  of  those  who 
love  art,  where  can  be  seen  canvases  and  statuary  that 
cannot  be  duplicated;  the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  with  its 
Egyptian  Obelisk,  statuary  and  memories  of  the  guillo- 
tine, of  the  Revolution;  the  Arc  de  Triumph,  sacred  to 
the  memory  of  the  great  Napoleon;  the  Bois  de  Boulogne; 
the  Place  de  la  Bastile,  and  last,  but  not  least— for  the 
ladies,  the  Bon  Marche',  where  they  buy  the  beautiful 
and  the  useful,  at  a  reasonable  price. 

The  great  Opera  House,  would,  alone,  make  any  city 
possessing  it,  note-worthy ;  and  deserves  too  extensive  a 
notice  to  attempt  it  here;  so  I  will  refer  the  reader  to 
some  book  of  travels,  for  information  in  this  behalf. 

From  Paris,  we  pass  over,  once  more,  into  the  great 
city  of  London;  and  while  sojourning  there,  during  the 
following  three  months,  I  embrace  the  opportunity  to 
study  that  great  town,  more  thoroughly,  before  returning 
again  to  my  native  land.  However,  a  description  of  a 
hurried  trip  which  I  took,  previous  to  this  time,  to  Ire- 
land— 

THE  BEAUTIFUL  EMERALD  ISLE 
may  be  of  interest  to  my  readers.  "Old  Ireland,  the 
mother  of  an  unfortunate  race  of  men  and  women,  whose 
deeds  are  embalmed  in  story  and  song — the  cradle  in 
which  have  rocked  poets,  statesmen,  soldiers  and  martyrs. 
Of  poets,  one  may  mention  Moore,  who  wrote  Lalla 
Rookh ;  of  statesmen  and  orators,  Henry  Grattan,  Daniel 
O'Connell,  Sheridan,  Burke,  Curran  and  Parnell;  of  sol- 
diers, the  **Iron  Duke,"  Wellington,  McMahon,  "Joe" 
Shields,  Thomas  Francis  Meagher,  Mulligan,  and  Corco- 
ran, of  the  "Bloody  69th,"  which  went  into  the  Battle  of 
Bull  Run,  stripped  to  the  waist,  and  "fought  like  brave 

325 


Bien,  long  and  well,"  for  our  glorious  Union;  and  last,  but 
not  least,  of  gallant  "Phil"  Sheiidan,  who  saved  the  day 
at  "Winchester,  twenty  miles  away!" 

As  for  scientists,  we  can  mention  Sir  Humphrey 
Davey,  who  invented  the  little  safety  lamp,  which  miners 
wear  to  protect  them  from  explosions,  when  they  are  at 
work — 

"Down  in  the  coal  mines 
Underneath    the  ground;*' 

thereby,  saving  the  lives  of  many  miners,  every  year; 
and  as  for  martyrs  to  the  cause  of  Irish  liberty,  the  list 
may  be  headed  by  the  name  of  that  immortal  Robert 
Emmett,  who  died,  in  his  youth  and  fair  promise  for  the 
freedom  of  his  native  land. 

I  left  the  great  ship  Campania  at  Queenstown, 
steamed  up  the  beautiful  bay  to  Cork,  a  large  and  popu- 
lous city;  the  principal  business  street  of  which — Pat- 
rick street,  containing  a  monument  and  statue  of  Father 
Mathew,  in  the  center  of  it,  leminded  me  that  at  last, 
I  was  treading  the  "Auld  Sod." 

On  our  way  up  the  bay,  we  saw  a  fleet  of  five  German 
men  of  war — ^no  submarines,  at  that  time.  They  had 
been  anchored  off  the^ort  of  Cork  for  several  days,  re- 
plenishing their  larders,  and  exchanging  friendly  greet- 
ings with  the  English  soldiers,  stationed  at  the  various 
barracks  in  and  near  that  city ;  from  there,  they  went  to 
Cowes,  on  the  Isle  of  Wight,  to  be  present  and  aid  in  hon- 
oring the  festivities  incident  to  the  visit  of  the  German 
Emperor,  to  his  grandma.  Queen  Victoria.  In  view  of 
conditions  which  have  prevailed  between  England  and 
Germany,  since  the  year  of  which  I  write,  it  seems 
strange  to  note  the  bonds  of  consanguinity  which  exist 
between  the  ex-emperor  and  the  royal  family  of  Great 
Britain. 

326 


After  visiting  various  places  of  interest  in  Cork,  in- 
cluding the  cathedral  in  which  Father  Mathew  preached 
and  the  church,  the  belfry  of  which  contains  the  "Sweet 
Bells  of  Shannon,"  which  sound  so  bewitching  on  the 
river  Lee,  I  hired  an  Irish- jaunting  car,  and  started, 
post-haste  for  the  village  of  Blamey,  and  "Blarney 
Castle/'  my  object  being,  of  course,  to  kiss  the  Blarney 
Stone. 

"There  is  a  stone  that  whoe'er  kisses, 
Sure  he  ne'er  misses 
To  become  iloquent." 

The  route  to  Blarney,  covering  some  seven  miles, 
carried  me  through  some  of  the  most  lovely  landscape 
scenery  which  I  had  ever  seen.  I  was  prepared  for  it; 
for,  it  was  *'one  day  in  May,"  and  my  expectation  had 
been  quickened,  years  and  years  before  that  time.  Going- 
out  by  an  ancient  road,  known  as  Sunday's- well-road, 
named  for  an  ancient  well  which  was  noted  for  the  heal- 
ing qualities  of  its  waters,  we  passed  several  chateaus  or 
country  residences,  which  might  well  be  compared  to 
Eden.  Over  our  heads,  at  times,  the  interlacing  boughs 
and  foliage  formed  a  veritable  arbour;  and  when  we 
emxerged  from  it,  near  the  end  of  our  route,  we  experi- 
enced the  sensation  of  coming  from  a  leafy,  flowery  tun- 
nel ;  and  the  River  Lee,  winding  its  tortuous  v/ay  through 
the  beautiful  green  valley,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  gave 
to  the  whole  scene  a  freshness  and  delight,  which,  once 
experienced,  can  never  be  forgotten. 

But,  here  we  are,  at  Blarney,  a  little  village,  a  very 
old  town,  nestled  amongst  the  hills,  and  hard  by,  is  the  re- 
nowned, old  and  gray— Blarney  Castle,  telling  of  party 
strife  and  conflicts,  numerous  and  severe,  in  the  "long 
ago" — an  anachronism  on  the  face  of  the  fruitful  earth. 

As  I  was  entering  the  grounds  upon  which  the 
Castle  stands,  I  met  Sir  George  Colthurst,  the  present 

327 


(then)  owner  of  the  Castle,  a  youthful,  good-looking  man; 
and  I  wondered  whether  he  had  won  his  *'Spurs,"  or  had 
the  title  by  inheritance  or  favor;  for,  we  all  know,  that, 
in  Ireland,  conditions  are  "not  always  what  they  seem." 
However,  we  enter  the  ancient  castle,  and  begin  climb- 
ing up,  up — up,  a  space  of  at  least  100  feet,  to  the  para- 
pet, suspended  under  which  and  held  in  position  by  two 
strong  iron  braces,  is  the  famous  stone. 

Just  here,  in  passing,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  mention 
three  other  famous,  little  old  stones  which  I  had  encoun- 
tered in  my  peregrinations,  in  Great  Britain.  There  is, 
in  West  Minster  Abbey,  a  very  old  stone,  known  as  the 
stone  brought  from  Scone,  in  Scotland,  on  which  the  Scot- 
tish kings,  from  time  immemorial,  had  been  crowned; 
then,  in  the  British  Museum,  is  to  be  seen  a  little — old 
stone,  known  as  the  Rosetta  Stone ;  which  was  discovered 
near  Cairo,  in  Egypt,  during  Napoleon's  expedition  in 
that  land;  and  is  called  "Rosetta  Stone,"  for  the  town  of 
Rosetta,  near  which  it  was  found;  it  is  polished  on  one 
side,  and  contains  an  inscription  in  three  different  lan- 
guages—EgjT)tian  hieroglyphics,  Greek  and  Latin.  It 
furnished  the  key  for  deciphering  Egyptian  hieroglyph- 
ics; and,  in  that  way,  has  been  of  priceless  value  in  the 
difficult  work  of  unraveling  Egyptian  history. 

I  found  another  on  the  top  of  Ross  Castle,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Lakes  of  Killarney,  which,  for  the  want  of 
a  better  name,  I  will  term,  the  Kissing  Stone.  It  is  said, 
that,  whoever  kisses  this  stone,  can,  thereafter,  kiss  any 
girl  he  wishes  to  kiss;  as  I  did  not  kiss  that  stone,  I  have 
^0  means  of  verifying  the  old  tradition. 

Going  back  to  the  Blarney  Stone ;  it  is  no  small  task 
to  kiss  the  Blarney  stone;  for,  in  order  to  perform  the 
osculatory  feat,  one  must  be  held  head  downward  over 
the  parapet,  with  a  yawning  chasm  of  not  less  than  one 
hundred  feet  beneath  him,  at  the  imminent  risk  of  his 
life.    This  writer,  however,  who  was  suspended  by  his 

323 


ankles,  by  two  accommodating  tourists,  performed  the 
feat  out  of  consideration  for  a  group  of  true  and  tried 
Irish  friends,  in  far  away  America;  and  if,  in  the  future, 
he  should  indulge  in  more  or  less  "blarney,"  the  reason 
therefor  can  be  easily  explained. 

Here  is  the  traditionary  origin  of  the  Blarney  Stone, 
as  given  to  me  "on  the  spot,"  by  an  Irishman.  Once  upon 
a  time,  "The  McCarthy,"  who  founded  the  castle,  on  re- 
turning from  the  chase,  with  a  friend,  heard  cries  of  dis- 
tress from  the  direction  of  the  River  Lee,  near  by.  On 
investigation,  they  found  two  sisters  in  the  extremity  of 
drowning;  and,  thereupon,  they,  right  manfully,  rescued 
them.  In  return  for  this  act,  one  of  the  sisters  told  "The 
McCarthy,"  to  go  and  look  under  the  parapet,  on  the  front 
side  of  his  castle,  and  he  would  discover  a  stone,  about 
three  feet  in  length  and  two  in  width,  which,  if  he  had 
the  courage  to  lean  over  and  kiss,  would  make  him 
thenceforward,  invincible  against  all  enemies,  in  battle. 
"The  McCarthy"  did  as  he  was  directed;  and  from  that 
time  forward,  no  one  of  his  neighboring  foes  could  pre- 
vail against  him.    Hence  the  "Blarney  stone." 

From  Blarney,  I  went,  next,  to  Killarney,  a  pretty 
village,  sustained,  largely  by  the  generosity  of  tourists, 
who  flock  here,  during  the  summer  season,  to  enjoy  the 
wonderfully  beautiful  scenery  of  the  Lakes  of  Killarney. 

"O,  did  you  e'er  hear  of  Kate  Kearney; 
She  lived  on  the  banks  of  Killarney ; 
Believe  it  from  me,  no  heart  could  be  free 
If  it  heard  the  sweet  sound  of  her  blarney." 

I  have  paraphrased  the  foregoing  lines,  somewhat, 
as  I  do  not  remember  the  exact  words  of  the  winsome 
song.  I  was  informed  by  my  guide  (who,  by  the  way,  had 
resided  for  years,  in  our  State  of  New  Hampshire),  that 
Kate  Kearney  had  such  beautiful,  long  hair,  that,  once, 
when  following  the  big  game,  she  pursued  a  roe  to  the 

329 


top  of  the  Toro  Mountain,  her  hair  flowed  down  to  it3 
base! 

But,  these  refreshing  lakes  and  their  surrounding 
scenery!  0,  the  beauty  of  Nature,  as  God  made  her! 
She,  verily,  has  no  rival.  While  the  lakes  are  pure  and 
limpid,  with  an  atmosphere  full  of  vitality,  yet  the  scen- 
ery on  their  banks  surpasses  all. 

Here  you  find,  mingled  in  rich  luxuriance,  the  oak, 
the  elm  and  the  beech  tree  fully  matured ;  then  we  see, 
in  all  their  perfected  beauty  the  holly,  the  arbutus,  the 
yew,  the  rhododendron,  the  bay,  the  Mountain  ash,  silver 
fir,  and  gi'eat  beds  of  roses  of  Sharon  and  ferns,  such  as 
this  wTiter  had  never  seen  before.  There,  too,  is  ancient 
"Ross  Castle"  with  some  of  the  identical  old  bronze  gims, 
still  mounted,  which  fired  upon  Ludlow  and  his  follow- 
ers, whom  Oliver  Cromwell  had  sent  to  reduce  the  castle, 
in  1640. 

On  the  top  of  the  ancient  stronghold,  which  was 
founded  in  the  14th  century,  is  the  ''kissing  stone,"  re- 
ferred to,  in  the  foregoing. 

I  found,  over  in  Ireland,  that  "foine  ould  Irish  gin- 
tleman,"  of  whom  I  had  read  so  much.  He  is  a  verity; 
bubbling  over  with  wit  and  humor,  and  abounding  in  that 
"sweet  Irish  brogue,"  of  which  the  late  General  Scott 
spoke,  from  the  balcony  of  our  American  House,  Svay 
back  in  the  fifties,  when  he  wns  a  Presidential  candidate, 
and  was  courting  the  Irish  vote. 

My  guide,  already  referred  to,  was  full  of  wit  and 
humor.  Pointing  to  a  high  mountain,  near  the  lakes, 
with  an  indentation  on  the  top  of  it,  he  said:  "Do  you 
see  that  gap  in  the  ridge  of  the  mountain?"  I  nodded, 
affirmatively.  "Well,  thin,"  he  said,  "that  little  gap  is 
called  "the  divil's  bite!'  Whin  the  O'Donoghue  held  Ross 
Castle,  over  there,  which  was  the  last  in  Ireland  to  sur- 
render to  the  forces  of  Cromwell,  the  divil,  one  day,  did 
give  him  some  of  his  impertinence ;  and  O'Donoghue  give 

330 


'im  sich  er  whack  on  his  divilish  back,  wid  his  blackthorn 
sthick,  that,  the  divil  run  roaring  to  yon  mountain  an' 
bit  a  piece  out  of  the  hump  av  it,  an  sphit  it  out  in  the 
lake,  jesht  where  ye  see  that  little  island;  an'  (lowering 
his  voice)  its  the  only  spheck  o'  land  that  the  divil  owns 
around  these  lakes;  Glory  be  tc  God!" 

Pointing  to  another  high  mountain,  not  far  removed, 
he  said :  "There's  a  lake  upon  the  top  o'  that  mountain, 
an'  its  the  deepest  in  the  wurrold.  **One  day,  there  was  a 
Yankee  hero,  an'  he  sed,  they  had  deeper  lakes  in 
Amerika  than  that  one ;  he  said,  they  had  'em  three  miles 
deep,  in  the  Rocky  Mountains.  I  told  'im  shure,  that  was 
nothin';  fer,  one  day,  an  Amerikin  gentleman  thried  to 
schwim  across  it,  but,  whin  he  got  in  the  middle  of  the 
lake,  the  cramps  took  him,  an'  he  begun  ter  sink;  an'  he 
didn't  shtop  intil  he  reached  Austraily,  whin  his  feet  hit 
the  head  uv  a  young  lady  who  v/as  passing  by  an'  hui*ted 
her.  She  sued  'im  fer  damages ;  but  he  wus  a  pore  man 
in  the  kentry,  havin'  left  even  his  close  behind  'im!  So, 
they  settled  by  marryin'  av  each  other;  fer  good  lookin' 
men  was  'mazingly  sceerce  in  Austraily,  thin." 

On  my  route  from  Killamey  to  Dublin,  we  passed 
through  sections  where  a  great  many  ''shanties,"  in  a 
tumbled  down-foresaken  condition  could  be  seen.  I  in- 
quired the  cause  of  this  forlorn  condition,  and  was  in- 
formed that  the  former  tenants  of  them,  had  left  Ireland 
— had  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  owing  to  the  se- 
verities of  the  **land-lord"  system  in  Ireland.  Some,  they 
said  had  also  gone  to  Australia  and  Canada ;  but,  by  far, 
the  larger  number  to  the  great  Republic.  At  one  station 
in  Tipperary,  I  bought  of  an  elderly  Irish  woman  a  black- 
thorn cane — a  shillelah ;  as  I  received  it  from  her,  she  re- 
marked, with  a  twinkle  in  her  eye,  "We  calls  'em  Tipper- 
ary rifles,  over  here !" 

When  the  train  stopped  at  another  station,  a  scene 
occurred  which  filled  my  eyes  with  some  of  those  tears 

331 


for  the  shedding  of  which,  more  or  less  of  merriment  was 
called  forth,  at  home:    Two  pretty  Irish  girls,  bound  for 
the  United  States,  were  in  the  act  of  taking  leave  of  the 
"Auld  Sod."    The  older  and  stronger  one  was  using  all 
her  influence  and  authority  to  prevent  a  "scene,"  but  was 
unequal  to  the  task;  for,  as  the  train  slowly  pulled  away 
from  the  platform,  the  younger  one  began  to  scream  and 
hysterically  sob  out,  "0,  Mother!  Mother!   Let  me  go  to 
my  poor  old  mother!"    "Arrah,  hush,  now!"  exclaimed 
the  other.   "None  o'  that!   Didn't  I  tell  ye  that  oid  hev 
none  o'  that,"  and  she  caught  her  by  the  arm,  and  pulled 
her,  by  main  force,  from  the  window.      "Mother!     0, 
Mother!"  persisted  the  younger  one,  "Let  me  go!    Let 
me  go  to  my  dear  mother!    Let  me  wave  a  handkerchief 
at  her  once  more !"    She  sobbed ;  and  tearing  herself  from 
her  sister's  grasp,  she  thrust  her  head  through  the  win- 
dow, and,  frantically,  waved  a  last  adieu,  which,   on$ 
could  plainly  see,  carried  her  whole  heart  with  it,  to  the 
dearest  and  best  friend  that  she  had  on  earth.     Then, 
resuming  her  seat,  she  wept  as  tho  her  heart  was  break- 
ing, until  the  train  was  far  removed  from  the  sad  scene! 
Since  that  sad  parting,  in  Ireland,  I  have  never  met 
a  group  of  Irish  emigrants,  on  land  or  sea,  without  recur- 
ring to  it;  and  say  what  we  may  of  the  Irish  in  Ireland, 
I  shall  ever  believe  that  the  ties  of  kinship  are  veritably, 
true  and  binding. 

Ere  long,  with  a  companion  of  the  trip,  we  v/ere 
walking  the  streets  of  Dublin  and  viewing  the  beauties 
of  Phoenix  Park  and  other  lovely  spots ;  it  was  then  that 
the  foundation  was  laid  in  my  mind  which  has  enabled 
me  to  follow,  with  increased  interest,  the  frightful  scenes 
which  have  since  transpired  there,  incidental  to  the  "Sin 
Fein"  and  other  uprisings.  Long  live  the  beautiful  green 
Isle !  and  may  God  hasten  the  day  when  peace  and  pros- 
perity and  good  will  shall  prevail,  throughout  her  do- 
mains ! 

332 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

"HOME  *  *  *  ■'  AGAIN." 

I  have  a  confession  to  make :  It  is  that,  for  fear  of 
being  discriminated  against,  on  account  of  being  a  colored 
man,  I  had  shipped,  both  when  alone  and  when  with  my 
family,  on  a  Cunarder,  where  I  felt  sure,  no  proscription 
would  be  made;  and,  I  am  free  to  state,  that,  my  antici- 
pations, in  this  behalf,  were  fully  realized. 

However,  there  came  a  time,  w^hen  being  a  little  anx- 
ious to  return  to  our  home  without  unnecessary  delay,  we 
shipped  on  the  good  United  States  ship,  New  York— 
with  more  or  less  of  ''fear  and  trembling,"  I  must  admit; 
yet,  boldly,  and  with  the  "face  and  front"  of  an  Ameri- 
can citizen. 

During  the  entire  trip,  from  Southampton  (?)  to 
New  York,  our  treatment,  by  every  one,  was  kindly  and 
considerate;  and  when  it  became  generally  known,  that, 
the  good  people  of  our  dear  Cleveland  had  so  often  and  so 
lavishly  honored  me  in  public  ways,  the  committee  ap- 
pointed to  arrange  the  details  of  the  customary  enter- 
tainment, on  the  homeward  voyage,  invited  me  to  preside 
as  chairman  of  the  function;  which  I  did,  with  pleasure 
and  apparent  satisfaction. 

Returning  from  Liverpool,  on  the  Campania,  in  1895, 
I  was  one  of  a  thousand  who  listened  with  much  interest, 
to  the  animated — eloquent  presentation  of  the  socialist 
cause  by  J.  Kier  Hardie,  M.  P.,  who  was  enroute  to  the 


United  States,  for  the  purpose  of  laying  the  cause  of 
British  workmen  before  the  American  pubhc. 

The  meeting  was  held  amidship  where  all  classes  of 
passengers  from  the  steerage  to  the  first  cabin  could  col- 
lect and  listen.  The  learned  gentleman  (the  sea  being 
calm)  spoke  for  nearly  an  hour;  and  was  attentively 
listened  to,  without  interruption. 

Following  the  speech  of  Kier  Hardie,  a  disposition 
became  manifest  to  have  him  ^^nswered ;  and,  during  the 
same  day,  a  delegation  of  the  passengers  requested  me  to 
undertake  that  delicate  and  difi'icult  task,  at  the  same 
place,  on  the  following  day:  'Til  say,"  I  was  not  at  all 
averse  to  attempting  the  task;  tho  I  fully  realized  that, 
in  Kier  Hardie,  I  had  found  a  foeman  more  than  "worthy 
of  my  steel." 

On  the  occasion  of  my  reply,  the  weather  and  sea 
were  again  auspicious  and  the  audience  larger,  perhaps, 
than  on  the  day  before;  that  I  did  ''my  possible,"  as  the 
French  sometimes  express  it,  goes  without  saying;  and 
many  compliments  came  to  me,  from  that  portion  of  the 
audience,  who  believed  in  the  perpetuity  of  the  estab- 
lished order  of  things,  social,  in  England  and  the  United 
States. 

That  honored  and  regretted,  late  citizen.  Judge  Stev- 
enson Burke,  when  in  conversation  with  the  writer,  on 
one  occasion,  exclaimed,  in  substance  as  follows:  ''My 
father  went  into  the  woods  and  cut  down  the  trees,  and 
pulled  up  the  stumps,  and  g''ubbed  up  the  roots,  and 
ploughed  up  the  soil!  Now,  if  any  man  wants  to  get  the 
land  from  me,  let  him  pay  its  full  value,  or  keep  silent." 

In  my  address  on  the  Campaina,  I  considered  my  most 
telling  point  (if  I  may  so  characterize  it) ,  that  one  where 
I  differentiate  between  the  status  of  the  middle  classes 
in  a  monarchy,  and  those  in  our  gi^eat  Republic;  where 
every  man  is  in  theory  and  law,  at  least,  the  equal  of 
every  other  man ;  and  may,  if  he  will,  aspire  to  any  posi- 

334 


tion  within  the  gift  of  the  people.  I  strove  to  maintain 
by  my  arguments,  that,  socialism,  anarchism  and  all 
other  doctrines  of  a  kindred  nature,  are  exotics  which 
should  be  shunned  as  being  hostile  to  our  well  being.  I 
still  am  actuated  by  those  and  kindred  feelings ;  and  have 
put  forth  every  reasonable  effort  to  instil  those  ideas  into 
the  minds  and  hearts  of  my  colored  fellow-citizens. 

Since  our  last  sojourn  in  foreign  lands,  I  have  been 
plodding  along  in  the  humble  sphere  of  a  private  citizen; 
busy  in  the  practice  of  the  Law  of  the  land,  and  cultivat- 
ing, as  best  I  could,  the  friendly  relations  of  all  good 
people ;  but,  there  is  one  episode  of  my  life,  extending  over 
a  period  of  at  least,  twenty  years,  of  which  I  must  make 
mention.  I  might  say,  in  truth,  forty-four  years,  for,  the 
mutual  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Theodore  Bliss,  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  myself,  came  down  from  1868,  to  the  year  of. 
his  death,  1910 ;  but,  during  the  first  period  mentioned— 
20  years — we  were  mutual  correspondents;  a  relationship 
which  only  death  terminated.  When  I  say  "mutual"  cor- 
respondents, I  would  be  understood  to  mean  that  I  wrote 
to  him,  perhaps,  fifty  letters,  where  he  favored  me  with 
one ;  and  then,  only  a  few  lines  which  were  painfully  exe- 
cuted, by  spelHng  the  v/ords,  one  letter  at  a  time,  and 
conjoining  them.  His  talented  daughter.  Miss  Anna 
Catherine  Bliss,  occasionally,  acted  as  an  amanuensis  for 
him,  and  wrote  to  me  for  him. 

Mr.  Theodore  Bliss  was  of  old  New  England  stock; 
was  born  in  1822,  and  died  in  1910,  when  he  was  in  his 
89th  year  of  age. 

In  the  forepart  of  this  narrative,  I  have  made  men- 
tion of  this  same  gentleman ;  but,  this  story  is  added,  as 
a  special  token  of  m.y  love  of  his  memory,  and  my  grati- 
tude for  tokens  of  friendly  consideration  shown  me,  by 
him. 

For  fifty-one  years  Mr.  Bliss  was  afflicted  with  a  dis- 
ease which  I  have  learned,  physicians  can  not  cure ;  they 

335 


name  it,  "rheumatoidarthritis,"  a  disease  which  he  first 
noticed  in  his  right  shoulder,  m  1859 ;  but,  which  contin- 
ued to  develop  until  his  death— 51  years  afterwards. 
Some  idea  of  his  sad  plight  m;).y  be  formed  by  his  brief 
description  of  it;  hear  him:  "One  joint  after  another 
has  been  distorted  and  the  limbs  bound,  until  I  could  no 
longer  move  about  on  cane  or  crutches ;  and  was  forced  to 
the  continuous  use  of  a  wheel  chair." 

Again,  he  says,  in  a  little  biographical  sketch  of  him- 
self, ''I  can  honestly  say,  that,  I  would  not  wish  my  worst 
enemy  to  suffer  as  I  have ;  to  have  had  the  fate  of  being 
bound  hand  and  foot  and  imprisoned  within  an  invalid's 
chamber  while  the  mind  remained  clear  and  active  and 
still  alert  to  the  affairs  of  every  day  life."  *  *  *  ♦ 

"Yet,"  he  says,  a  little  farther  down,  "in  my  ex- 
treme old  age,  I  can  say,  with  perfect  sincerity,  that  I 
would  live  this  life  of  mine  all  over  again,  gladly — even 
Including  this  long  period  of  illness ;  for,  in  this  eighty- 
eighth  year  of  my  age,  life  seemis  to  me  a  very  little  and 
short  experience.  Hours  for  sleep,  for  rest  and  for  re- 
freshment, shorten  these  years  greatly,  when  measured 
by  activity,  by  the  accomplishment  of  results." 

The  late,  George  BHss,  of  New  York,  was  a  brother 
of  this  Theodore  Bliss ;  and,  as  every  one  of  mature  years 
will  bear  witness,  was  a  great  financial  power  in  that 
great  city;  and,  for  many  years  prior  to  the  year  1868, 
when  he  united  with  Levi  P.  Morton,  George  Bliss  was 
the  head  of  the  renowned  importing  dry  goods  house  of 
George  Bliss  and  Company,  which  is  of  "historic  note," 
amongst  the  dry  goods  houses  of  America. 

During  the  time  which  elapsed  between  the  death  of 
Mr.  Theodore  Bliss'  elder  daughter,  who  was  in  the  haUit 
of  writing  a  letter  to  him  every  week  (as  he  informed 
me),  and  his  death — more  than  20  years — I  did  not  fail 
in  a  single  instance,  to  write  and  mail  to  Mr.  Bliss,  on 
the  same  day  of  the  week,  a  letter  containing  1,000  words, 

336 


more  or  less,  but,  generally  more;  and  even  when  I  was 
on  the  high  seas  or  doing  political  "stumping,"  I  took 
time  to  write  and  mail  that  letter — on  the  ship  or  in  a 
postoffice. 

Every  Christmas,  he  mailed  me  his  check  for  fifty 
dollars,  coupling  with  it  a  request  that,  I  give  $5.00  of  it 
to  my  late  beloved  and  regretted  son,  Theodore  Bliss 
Green,  named  for  him ;  and  when  he  died,  by  the  terms 
of  his  will,  I  received  the  sum  of  $500.00. 

Nearly  all  of  my  most  readable  books  are  testimon- 
nials  of  his  bounty ;  and  in  that  sense,  he  was  largely  in- 
strumental in  enriching  my  mind  with  English  classic 
lore ;  for,  it  is  quite  doubtful,  whether  I  had  the  talent  to 
select  my  necessary  reading  matter  as  he  skilfully  did. 

When  I  visited  Philadelphia,  his  residence,  in  the 
fashionable  part  of  the  city,  was  my  hom.e ;  and,  although 
he  could  not  even  put  on  his  eye-glasses  or  feed  himself, 
yet,  when  I  visited  him,  for  a  few  hours,  I  was  con- 
strained to  dine  with  him  and  his  good  family;  when  he 
v/ould  be  brought  down  from  his  room,  and  placed  at  the 
table ;  a  circumstance,  I  was  infoi-med,  which  very  seldom 
took  place. 

When  he  died,  I  was  duly  notified  of  the  fact,  by  his 
daughter,  by  telegram;  and,  at  the  funeral,  I  rode  in  one 
of  the  carriages,  with  members  of  his  and  George  Bliss' 
family;  at  the  home,  I  was  treated,  in  all  respects,  as  a 
gentleman  and  social  equal. 

To  my  mind,  the  foregoing  is  a  most  remarkable  in- 
stance, going  to  prove  that,  even  in  the  face  of  race 
prejudice  and  caste,  which,  in  some  instances,  is  so  dense 
that  it  can  almost  be  felt,  a  colored  person  in  the  United 
States,  can  make  a  place  for  himself,  in  the  hearts  and 
homes  of  the  foremost  white  citizens,  by  modest,  respect- 
ful and  honorable  conduct,  in  his  daily  walk  in  life.   The 

337 


foregoing  is  not  written  boastfully,  but,  encouragingly, 
for  the  benefit  of  such  of  my  class  as  have  the  ambition 
and  persistency  to  make  the  test. 

I  have,  at  my  home,  the  copy  of  the  Holy  Bible,  which 
Mr.  Bliss  kept  near  him,  for  his  personal  use,  as  long  as 
he  could  turn  the  leaves  of  it.  It  was  sent  to  me,  by  his 
children,  after  his  death ;  and,  I  treasure  it  more  than  I 
can  tell.  He  was  a  good,  benevolent  man,  with  a  mind 
clear  and  vigorous,  even  in  his  eighty-eighth  year  of  age 

when  he  was  utterly  helpless  as  to  all  his  limbs,  even 

down  to  his  fingers ;  by  the  assistance  of  others,  he  could 
read  all  the  current  literature ;  and  reflection  was  always 
with  him.    He  died  hating  shams  and  dishonesty^^^ 

I  consider  that  I  am  honoring  my  class  of  colored 
Americans,  in  referring  to  The  Rt.  Reverend  W.  A.  Leon- 
ard as  our  friend  in  need  and  mdeed. 

We  almost  ''crossed"  each  other,  en  route — he  to 
Cleveland,  to  undertake  his  new  and  strenuous  duties — 
I  to  Washington,  where  for  years  he  had  labored  in  the 
Vineyard  and  made  his  name,  from  the  White  House  and 
Capitol  down  to  the  humblest  Negro,  a  "household  word." 
In  my  offices,  where,  as  United  States  Postage  Stamp 
Agent,  I  was  in  official  touch  with  a  number  of  most  es- 
timable ladies,  his  good  works  were  frequently  mentioned, 
and  his  name  was  revered;  so  that,  it  is  not  to  be  won- 
dered at,  that,  on  my  return  to  Cleveland,  after  an  ab- 
sence of  nearly  a  decade,  I  lost  no  time  in  finding  him  and 
placing  myself,  as  well  as  my  family,  under  his  spiritual 
guidance. 

Our  good  Bishop,  who  is  known  and  esteemed  all  over 
the  civilized  portion  of  the  globe,  is  regarded  by  those 
near  him,  as  a  man  of  great  executive  ability,  a  born 
leader  of  men,  a  true  American,  yet,  cosmopolitan  to  the 
"backbone."    He  is  possessed  of  a  heart  so  large  and  a 


spirit  so  expanded,  that,  his  sympathies  for  the  needy- 
are  redundant,  and  his  generosity,  in  behalf  of  the  poor, 
is  unbounded;  and,  these  views  are  not  restricted  to  the 
members  and  friends  of  St.  Andrew's  Episcopal  Church 
(colored) ,  of  Cleveland,  and  St.  Mary's  Mission  (colored) , 
of  Washington,  D.  C;  but,  by  all  colored  people,  who 
know  him,  without  regard  to  their  religious  affiliations. 

I  repeat  the  language  of  the  late  Mrs.  John  D.  Rocke- 
feller, when  speaking  of  her  husband's  relations  to  Spell- 
man  Institute,  of  Atlanta,  Ga. ;  Bishop  Leonard,  for  many 
years,  literally,  carried  both  of  those  colored  churches 
"under  his  arm ;"  and  even  today,  since  St.  Andrew's  has 
become,  under  the  masterful  guidance  of  Rev.  B.  Welling- 
ton Paxton  and  Rev.  Fr.  B.  W.  Suthem,  her  Rector,  a 
self-sustaining  church,  our  go(»d  Bishop  relaxes  not  one 
whit  of  his  paternal,  loving,  affectionate  watchfulness. 

When  it  comes  to  a  consideration  of  individuals,  our 
Bishop  is  no  respecter  of  persons;  and  has  never  been 
known,  as  I  am  informed,  to  call  any  man  whom  "Ck)d  hath 
cleansed,"  common  or  unclean;  and  in  stating  this  fact, 
I  speak  entirely  within  my  own  personal  observation  and 
experience. 

The  readers  of  this  narrative  will  bear  in  mind  the 
letter  of  introduction  given  to  me  by  our  Bishop  for  pre- 
sentation to  the  Lord  Bishop  of  London,  an  august  and 
potential  personage,  in  the  personnel  of  the  great  Brit- 
ish Empire,  how  respectfully  it  referred  to  me,  and  what 
beautiful  language  it  was  couched  in,  so  much  so,  indeed, 
that,  the  great  prelate  returned  it  to  me,  after  reading 
and  admiring  it,  to  be  kept  as  a  souvenir  of  the  memor- 
able conference  which  it  procured  for  me  with  him.  If 
any  further  proof  w^ere  needed  of  the  disinterested  and 
loving  personality  of  our  dear  Bishop,  the  following,  I  am 
sure,  would  satisfy  everyone. 

339 


THE  BISHOP  OF  OHIO 

3054  Euclid  Avenue,  Cleveland. 
Hon.   J.    P.    Green, 

London,  England. 
Dear  Sin- 
Many  thanks  for  your  kind  note  of  March  9th,  just  received. 
I  trust  that,  by  this  time,  you  have  met  the  Lord  Bishop  of 
London;  you  will  find  him  certainly,  a  very  agreeable  and  inter- 
esting personality. 

You  will  be  sorry  to  know  that,  dear  Mrs.  Mather  has  de- 
parted this  life;  and  that,  we  buried  her,  six  weeks  ago.  She 
was  a  saint,  and  universally  beloved  in  the  town  which  her  pres- 
ence has  graced  and  her  benedictions  have  enriched. 

Faithfully  yours, 

WILLIAM  A.  LEONARD. 

Can  the  writer  conceive  of  any  sentiments  purer  and 
more  abounding  in  that  divine  love  and  friendship  which 
flows  only  from  the  inspired  service  of  our  blessed 
Father  in  Heaven  ? 

Now  here  is  the  last  one,  which  I  select  from  several 
communications  with  which  our  Bishop  has  kindly  fa- 
vored me;  and  I  include  this  only  that  I  may  follow  it 
with  the  beautiful  lines  to  which  he  refers: 

THE  BISHOP  OF  OHIO, 

3054  Euclid  Avenue,  Cleveland,  O. 
Hon.  John  P.  Green, 

Cleveland,  O. 
My  Dear  Friend: — 

It  is  very  kind  of  you  to  send  me  this  beautiful  poem,  which 
I  herewith  return;  because,  I  know  you  will  want  to  keep  it. 

Surely,  the  gift  of  music  is  in  the  soul  of  the  writer.  What  a 
privilege  to  have  such  friends  and  associates  in  life. 

As  you  are  aware,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Suthem  has  agreed  to  come 
by  the  15th  of  May,  which  I  think  is  absolutely  essential  as  far 
as  our  work  is  concerned. 

With  all  good  wishes,  I  am, 

Faithfully  yours, 
WILLIAM  A.  LEONARD. 
The  poem  referred  to  follows : 

340 


TONIGHT:     AN  EVENING  PRAYER. 

For   all  who   watch   tonight, 

Whate'er   the    dread  may  be, 
We  ask  for  them  the  perfect  peace 

Of  hearts  that  rest  in  Thee. 

For  all  who  weep  tonight-— 

The  hearts  that  cannot  rest- 
Reveal  thy  love— that  wondrous  love 

Which  gave  for  us  Thy  Best. 

For  all  who  wake  tonight. 

Love's  tender  watch  to  keep, 
Watcher  Divine,  Thyself  draw  nigh, 

Thou  who  dost  never  sleep. 

For  all  who  fear  tonight, 

Whate'er  the  dread  mny  be, 
We  ask  for  them  thy  perfect  peace 

Of  hearts  that  rest  in  Thee. 

Our  own  belov'd  tonight — 

O  Father,  keep,  and  where 
Our  love  and  succor  cannot  reach, 

Now  bless  them  through  our  prayer. 

And  all  who  pray  tonight— 

Thy  wrestling  hosts,  O  Lord, 
Make  weakness  strong,  let  them  prevail. 

According  to  Thy  Word. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  state,  in  this  connection,  that, 
inspired,  by  the  guardian  care  and  the  spiritual  example 
of  Bishop  Leonard  and  the  faithful  pastors  whom  he  has 
placed  over  us,  I  have  added  to  the  six  years  of  unfail- 
ing attendance  at  St.  Luke's  Church,  in  Washington,  D. 
C,  fourteen  other  years,  since  our  return  to  Cleveland; 
making  twenty  years,  in  all,  since  I  have  missed  a  morn- 
ing service,  when  in  Cleveland;  and  that  during  the  same 
period  of  time,  I  have  not  been  one  minute  late.  By  the 
courtesy  of  our  Rectors,  I  officiate  as  Lay  Reader,  dur- 
ing their  absence  or  sickness ;  and  during  one  "interreg- 
num," or  spring  and  summer,  I  discharged  the  duties  of 
a  Lay  Reader,  until  a  Rector  was  obtained.  It  is  unnecs- 
sary,  perhaps  to  say,  "I  Love  Thy  Church  0  Lord!" 

341 


During  my  long  residence,  of  sixty-three  years,  in 
the  city  of  Cleveland,  excepting  several  periods  of  time, 
when  absent  on  business  or  pleasure  bent,  it  has  been  my 
good  fortune  to  become  acquainted,  to  a  greater  or  less 
degree,  with  a  large  number  of  very  prominent  gentle- 
men and  ladies,  of  both  races,  some  of  whom  I  have  al- 
ready referred  to  in  a  casual  way ;  and  since  some  of  these 
have,  in  many  ways,  contributed  largely,  towards  such 
success  as  I  have  attained  to,  it  would  seem  that,  in  this, 
my  life's  story,  I  should,  at  least,  mention  a  few  of  them 
by  name ;  nor  am  I  quite  certain  that,  were  1  to  acquaint 
them  with  this  intention  on  my  part,  they  would  yield 
their  consent ;  since,  in  only  a  few  instances,  have  I  been 
received  by  them  in  their  homes  or  as  personal  domestic 
associates. 

However,  since  I  have  only  good  to  speak  of  them,  I 
will  "draw  my  bow  at  a  venture."  In  every  instance 
where,  in  the  following,  I  shall  submit  the  copy  of  a  let- 
ter, I  shall  retain,  in  my  possession,  the  original,  for  the 
inspection  of  anyone  who  may  desire  to  read  it.  The 
first  one,  is  from  the  late  President  James  A.  Garfield,  to 
whose  residence  in  Mentor,  I  conducted  a  delegation  of 
three  hundred  colored  voters,  at  a  time  in  his  presidential 
campaign,  when  it  was  easily  apparent  that,  he  needed 
votes.  The  book  to  which  he  refers  in  the  letter  is  one 
which  I  hurriedly  wrote,  to  be  used,  to  some  extent,  in 
that  sam.e  campaign;  and,  while  I  secured  a  ''copy-right, " 
in  the  Congressional  Library,  yet,  it  was  anonymously 
issued.  The  title  of  the  book  is,  "Recollections  of  the 
Carolinas." 

Mr.  J.  P.   Green,  Mentor,   Ohio,  Aug.  22,   1880. 

My  dear  Sir: — 

Mr.  Sherwin  kindly  loaned  me  a  copy  of  your  book,  a  few 
days  ago,  and  though  I  did  not  have  the  time  to  read  it  in  full, 
I  looked  it  over  carefully  and  was  much  pleased  to  see  a  subject  of 
such  importance  so  well  handled. 

Congratulating  you  upon   your  success,   I  am, 

Very  truly  yours, 

J.  A.  GARFIELD. 
342 


The  next  letter  which  I  shall  submit  is  fix)m  the  late 
Senator,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  and  Secretary  of 
State,  John  Sherman.  The  last  time  this  great  states- 
man was  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate,  I,  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Ohio  Senate,  had  the  honor  of  voting  for  him. 
I  have  hanging  near  me  now,  a  portrait  of  him,  presented 
by  him  to  me,  with  his  autograph  subscribed. 

SENATE  CHAMBER,  WASHINGTON,  D   C 

Dec.  18,  1898. 
To  whom  it  may  concern: 

I  take  pleasure  in  commending  Hon.  John  P.  Green,  now  a 
member  of  the  Senate  of  Ohio,  from  the  City  of  Cleveland,  to  the 
kindly  favor  of  Americans  abroad,  with  whom  he  may  come  in 
contact.  He  is  a  man  of  literary  attainments — a  good  speaker,  of 
excellent  character  and  standing,  and  influential  among  the  col- 
ored people  of  Ohio. 

Very  respectfully, 

JOHN  SHERMAN. 

The  third  letter  is  one  recently  received  from  ex-Gov- 
emor  Myron  T.  HeiTick,  more  recently,  Ambassador  to 
France,  whose  signal  and  very  valuable  services  not  more 
to  France  and  the  Allies  than  to  the  United  States,  have 
gained  for  him  not  only  universal  approbation,  but  also, 
the  respect  and  love  of  many. 

MYRON  T    KERRICK 

July  22d,  1919. 
Dear  Mr.  Green: — 

I  was  deeply  touched  by  your  most  kind  letter  of  reminisces. 

I  well  remember  you  when  you  came  to  Col's  nasty  old  law 

offices,  long,  long  ago.     You  were  a  young,  eamest  man;  and  you 

have  fulfilled  the  promise  of  those  years  of  your  adolescence,  16 

be  a  valuable  man,  for  your  city  and  your  country. 

I  congratulate  you  upon  your  anniversary;  for,  you  have 
been  an  honor  to  the  city  of  your  choice  for  sixty-two  years,  as 
you  will  be  until  the  end  of  your  days.  "Long  and  late  may  be 
the  day.    Thank  you  for  your  letter,  I  appreciated  it  deeply. 

Yours, 
MYRON  T    HERRICK. 

The  following  letter  is  from  the  pen  of  the  late  Book- 
er T.  Washington,  who  needs  no  introduction,  anywhere 
in  the  civilized  world. 

343 


THE   TUSKEGEE 
NORMAL  AND  INDUSTRIAL  INSTITUTE. 

June  15,  1914. 
To  whom  it  may  concern: 

This  is  to  state  that,  I  have  known,  for  a  number  of  years, 
The  Hon.  John  P.  Green  of  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

Mr.  Green  has  held  several  important  public  positions,  botk 
in  the  State  and  National  government.  Besides,  in  his  profes- 
sion as  a  lawyer,  he  stands  eminently  high,  and,  as  a  public  speaker, 
he  is  a  man  who  commands  the  highest  respect  and  who  makes  an 
address  which  is  instructive,  inspiring  and  interesting. 

He  knows  the  condition  of  the  Negro  race,  in  this  country, 
and  can  be  depended  upon  to  give  interesting  information  concern- 
ing the  progress  of  our  race. 

I  commend  him  to  all  into  whose  hands  this  letter  may  fall. 
BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON. 

The  next  letter  is  from  Mr.  Daniel  Murray  (colored) , 
Assistant  Librarian  of  the  Congressional  Libraiy,  who  is 
stationed  in  the  Capitol,  during  the  sessions  of  Congress, 
where  his  position  is  absolutely  unique;  for  the  reason 
that,  he  can  furnish  precedents  and  other  information  to 
senators  and  representatives  when  in  the  act  of  speaking, 
on  any  reasonable  subject  of  past  legislation: 

LIBRARY  OF  CONGRESS.  WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

Sept.  20th,  1915. 
My  dear  Friend  Gi-een: 

I  am  very  glad  to  receive  your  communication  and  v;ill  avail 
myself  of  the  data,  in  perfecting  my  sketch  of  you.  I  had  already 
gathered  much  concerning  your  wonderful  career,  but,  am  no  less 
grateful  to  receive  this  supplementary  data. 

I  hope  our  friend  Geo.  A.  (referring  to  Mr.  George  A.  Myers, 
ef  Cleveland,  Ohio),  is  all  right.  I  note  what  you  say  of  the 
Labor  Day  matter.  I  have  already  given  you  credit  for  introduc- 
ing and  having  passed  the  Ohio  legi.5laton.  making  the  day  a  legal 
holiday.  *  *  *  *  The  "Eagle,"  a  local,  published  here,  has  an  edi- 
torial on  a  visit  made  to  you,  in  Cleveland. 

It  is  well  \\Titten  and  fully  deserved. 

Wishing  you  every  blessing  and  long  life  to  enjoy  the  same, 
I  beg  to  remain, 

Very  sincerely  yours. 
DANIEL  MURRAY. 
To  Hon.  John  Patterson  Green.  Cleveland,  O. 

The  following  letter  is  from  Rev.  Charles  F.  Thwing, 
D.  D.,'  President  of  Western  Resei-ve  University,  Adel- 
bert  College,  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  speaks  for  itself: 

344 


May  6,  1916. 
My  dear  Mr.  Green: 

It  is  kind  in  you  to  write  me  as  you  do,  and  to  let  me  share 
with  you  in  the  pleasure  of  these  letters,  of  Mr.  Bliss  and  Mr. 
Richards. 

At  the  present  moment,  there  is  no  opportunity.  In  fact  als© 
the  larger  share  of  our  special  lectures,  for  the  next  college  year, 
have  been  arranged.  But,  at  some  time,  I  am  sure  a  fitting  op- 
portunity will  open  for  you  to  come  to  us.  When  this  opportunity- 
does  open,  I  shall  give  myself  the  pleasure  of  inviting  you. 

I  wish  that  we  might  meet  oftener.  We  have  so  many  great 
subjects,  in  common,  to  talk  about. 

Believe  me, 

Ever  yours, 

CHARLES  F.  THWING. 
John  P.  Green,  Esquire. 

Here  is  another: 

CITY  OF  CLEVELAND,  0. 
MAYOR'S  OFFICE. 

Cleveland,  O.,  Dec.  19th,  1893. 
This  is  to  certify  that  Hon.  John  P.  Green,  member  of  th© 
Ohio  Senate,  has  been,  for  many  years,  a  resident  of  Cleveland, 
of  good  standing  in  the  community. 

He  is  a  l»ryer,  by  profession,  a  contributor  to  journals  and 
magazines,  aid  enjoys  an  excellent  reputation,  as  a  public 
speaker. 

He  is  also,  deservedly  entitled  to  praise  for  his  intelligent 
industry,  and  credit  for  his  ability  I  cheerfully  commend  Mr. 
Green  to  the  courtesies  of  those  whom  he  may  meet. 

ROBERT  BLEE,  Mayor. 

I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following,  from  on« 
of  the  judges  of  our  Court  of  Common  Pleas: 

COUNTY  OF   CUYAHOGA. 

Thomas  M.  Kennedy,  Judge. 

Cleveland,  Ohio,  June  22,  1914. 
To  Whom  It  May  Concern: 

I  have  known  Mr.  John  P.  Green,  for  thirty  years,  and  can 
certify  that  he  has  borne  an  excellent  character  as  a  lawyer  and 
a  citizen,  both  in  private  and  public  life,  during  all  of  that  time. 

He  has  been   signally  honored  by  his  state  and  nation,   and 
has  rendered  distinguished  services  to  the  public,  for  many  years. 
He  is  an  eloquent  and  graceful   speaker,  at  the  bar  and  oa 
the  public  platform,   and  a  man  of  high   character  and  unques- 
tioned integrity. 

Very  respectfully, 
THOMAS  M.  KENNEDY,  Judge. 

345 


In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  I  have  letters,  highly 
complimentary,  from  judges,  governors.  United  States 
senators  and  very  prominent  business  men;  but,  I  feel 
sure,  my  readers  will  have  been  quite  surfeited  with  what 
I  have  already  given.  I  shall  include  two  others,  how- 
ever, as  they  are  from  men  of  universal  note,  and,  I  think, 
will  be  appreciated. 

The  first  is  from  the  late  Frederick  Douglas,  a  man 
bom  and  raised  (I  cannot  say  reared,  of  a  person  who  by 
the  law  of  the  land  and  by  his  treatment  was  a  mere 
chattel),  in  slavery;  who  carried  on  his  back  the  scars 
of  the  "driver's"  whip ;  who  had  one  of  his  eyes  blinded ; 
who  never  attended  school  a  day,  in  his  whole  life;  and, 
yet,  was  the  associate  of  eminent  scholars  and  officials, 
and  was  noted,  the  world  over,  as  an  orator,  statesman 
and  philosopher.    The  letter  follows : 

CEDAR   HILL 

Anacoatia,  D.  C,  March  6,  1893. 
My  dear  Mr.  Green: 

I  am  pleased  to  know  that  you  are  about  to  treat  yourself  to 
a  tour  abroad. 

There  was  a  time  when  I  could  have  assisted  you  in  the  man- 
ner you  sugrgest,  but  that  was  nearly  fifty  years  ago.  I  went  to 
England  in  1845;  then  I  knew  John  Bright,  Richard  Cobden,  George 
Thompson,  Joseph  Sturge,  George  W.  Alexander  and  many  other 
influential  men;  but,  now,  all  are  gone;  and  I  alone  am  left  to 
tell  this. 

You  will  take  with  you  my  high  regards  and  best  wishes  for 
your  safety  and  happiness  while  on  sea  and  land,  and  a  warm  wel- 
come home,  when  you  shall  return. 

Though  I  know  but  few  in  England  now,  there  are  many  who 
know  of  me;  and  you  may,  perhaps,  use  my  name  to  some  with 
whom  you  may  meet. 

Your  friend. 
FREDERICK  DOUGLASS. 

The  following  letter,  from  Dr.  John  Clifford,  D.  D., 
LL.  D.,  is  in  answer  to  an  invitation  mailed  to  him  by 
me,  in  the  summer  of  1911,  when  he  made  his  last  visit 
to  this  country,  asking  him  to  spend  a  few  days,  at  least, 
in  our  great  City  of  Cleveland: 

346 


HOTEL  WALTON. 

Philadelphia,  Pa.,  June  24,   l9ll. 
Many  thanks,  my  dear  friend,  for  your  letter. 
It  is  refreshing  to  hear  from  you  in  your  own  land.     I  wish 
I  could  come  and  see  you.    It  would  be  a  great  joy  to  me  to  come 
to  Cleveland;  but,  I  have  not  a  spare  day;  nor  can  I  make  one. 

It  was  a  real  pleasure  to  meet  Mr.  Rockefeller;  and  the  short 
chat  I  had  with  him  was  most  pleasant.  Please  remember  us  to 
Mrs.  Green,  and  accept  the  assurance  of  my  keen  regret  that  I 
cannot  see  you.  We  are  having  a  grand  time  here,  thanks  to 
the  over-flowing  generosity  of  our  American  friends. 

I  am  truly  yours, 

JOHN   CLIFFORD. 

In  closing  the  foregoing  letter,  may  I  not  add,  that, 
prior  to  the  World  War,  Dr.  Clifford  was  reputed  to  be 
the  most  influential  man  in  Great  Britain— the  Prime  Min- 
ister, alone,  being  excepted. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  writer  of  the  following 
letter  has,  recently,  been  nominated  by  the  great  Repub- 
lican party  as  its  standard  bearer,  for  the  high  office  of 
President  of  the  United  States,  and  the  omens  for  his 
election  all  seem  auspicious,  I  am  of  opinion  it  will  be 
read  with  a  very  great  degree  of  interest. 

The  circumstances  which  caused  Senator  Harding-  to 
write  me  this  letter  as  far  back  as  the  latter  part  of  De- 
cember, 1918,  a  year  and  a  half  before  his  nomination, 
are  as  follows: 

I  wrote  a  letter  to  Mr.  Dan  R.  Hanna,  protesting 
against  the  apparent  efforts  of  himself  and  other  gi-eat 
men  of  the  country  looking  towards  the  nomination  of 
the  late,  lamented  ex-President  Theodore  Roosevelt  for 
the  presidency,  in  1920.  A  copy  of  which  I  mailed  to 
Senator  Harding,  at  Washington,  enclosing  with  the  same 
a  letter  to  the  Senator,  in  which  I  suggested  that  he,  and 
not  the  distinguished  ex-President,  was  the  logical  and 
probable  nominee  for  president,  in  1920. 

To  this  communication,  I  received  the  following  let- 
ter, from  Senator  Harding: 

347 


UNITED  STATES  SENATE    . 

Committee  on  Commerce. 

December  27th,  1918. 
Mr.  Jolm  P.  Green, 

510  Blackstone  Bldg., 
Cleveland,  Ohio. 
My  dear  Mr.  Green: 

Thank  you  very  much   for   your  note   and   the   copy   of   the 
letter  which  you  wrote  to  Mr.  Hanna,  under  recent  date. 

This  is  all  very  interesting  to  me.  I  know  Mr.  Hanna  is  a 
v€ry  great  and  enthusiastic  supporter  of  Colonel  Roosevelt;  and 
I  happen  to  know  that  Roosevelt's  candidacy  for  the  Republican 
nomination  in  1920  is  being  very  vigorously  pushed  along.  I  do 
not  pretend  to  say  who  will  be  the  best  standard  bearer  for  1920. 
Many  things  may  happen  before  that  time  arrives.  It  will  not 
surprise  me  if  we  choose  our  standard  bearer  with  some  very 
serious  consideration  of  the  conditions  which  obtain  at  that  time. 
I  think  I  ought  to  say  to  you  that,  I  have  no  ambition  of  my 
own  to  serve  in  this  matter.  I  do  hope  the  Republican  party  will 
be  wise  enough  to  pursue  the  only  course  which  will  insure  to  hs 
the  recovery  of  federal  control. 

I  thank  you  for  your  interest  and  your  friendly  attitude. 
Wishing  you  a  very  happy  New  Year,  I  am 

Very  truly  yours, 
W.  G.  HARDING. 

An  incident  of  a  political  nature,  in  which  the  late 
Tom  L.  Johnson  was  the  central  figure,  may  be  of  inter- 
est to  some  of  the  readers  of  this  narrative. 

Considerable  interest  centered  around  the  congres- 
sional contest  between  this  distinguished  Clevelander  and 
Theodore  E.  Burton,  Esq.,  (now  ex-Senator  Burton), 
when  they  were  opposed  to  each  other  for  election,  some 
thirty  years  ago.  The  late  H.  T.  Eubanks,  then  head 
waiter  at  the  Weddell  House,  and  subsequently,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  lower  house  of  the  General  Assembly,  found 
much  favor  in  the  sight  of  Mr.  Johnson  ,and  even  vol- 
unteered his  services  in  assisting  him  in  gaining  the 
good  will  of  the  colored  voters  of  Cleveland;  and,  as  a 
means  to  that  end,  prevailed  upon  Mr.  Johnson  to  invite 
this  writer  and  The  Honorable  Hany  C.  Smith,  the  author 
of  the  Ohio  Civil  Rights  Law,  to  debate  with  him  all 
matters  of  interest  to  the  colored  voters,  involved  in  the 
pending  congressional  election.     As  a  matter  of  course, 

348 


we  accepted  the  invitation ;  and,  on  the  appointed  evening, 
in  Mr.  Johnson's  big  tent,  pitched  within  our  PubUc 
Square,  we  "locked  horns''  (I  say  "locked  horns"  advised- 
ly), for,  it  was  some  contest,  and  we  fought  it  out  to  a 
finish.  Where  the  victory  and  honor  lay,  is  not  for  me 
to  say ;  but,  this  much  I  will  affirm ;  Mr,  Johnson  was  de- 
feated, at  the  polls;  and  the  late  W.  J.  Akers,  for  many 
years,  proprietor  of  the  Forest  City  House,  (one  of  the 
leading  hotels  of  Cleveland) ,  was  accustomed  to  say,  that, 
prior  to  that  debate,  Mr.  Johnson's  prospects  for  election 
were  good;  but,  that,  from  that  night,  those  of  Mr.  Bur- 
ton w^ere  in  the  ascendant. 

Mr.  Akers  contended  that,  in  that  meeting,  Mr.  John- 
son becam.e  the  butt  and  jeer  of  the  crowd  in  attendance ; 
that,  the  humor  spread  throughout  the  district,  to  the 
discomfiture  of  the  noted  gentleman. 

However,  Tom  L.  Johnson  was  too  big  a  man  to  com- 
plain; he  accepted  his  defeat  philosophically  and  sought, 
like  another  Alexander,  some  new  world  (rail-way)  to 
conquer. 

In  the  year  1897,  before  answering  the  call  of  Presi- 
dent McKinley,  to  take  office  at  Washington,  I,  for  the 
first  time  since  1857,  visited  my  childhood's  home.  Few 
of  those  whom  we  had  left  there,  were  still  living;  but. 
the  Neuse  and  Trent  rivers  were  there,  some  of  the  more 
substantial  buildings  were  there  and  quite  a  number  of 
the  humbler  homes.  The  old  court  house,  market  house 
and  Christ  Episcopal  Church,  had  been  destroyed  by  fire; 
but,  upon  the  whole,  the  general  appearance  of  the  town 
denoted  progress. 

In  Rock  Cemetery,  I  found  our  lot  intact,  and  the  in- 
scriptions on  the  family  "tombstones"  and  others,  were 
still  legible. 

I  had  the  great  pleasure  of  delivering  an  address,  in 
one  of  the  A.  M.  E.  churches  there,  to  a  large  audience 

349 


of  colored  people ;  and  many  reminiscences  of  the  past  in- 
terested and  instructed  me. 

In  referring  to  my  visit  to  my  old  Newbeme  home, 
in  1897,  I  am  moved  to  make  reference  to  a  "grand  old 
man" — "to  the  manor  born,"  as  the  saying  goes,  who 
received  me  into  his  home,  for  an  interesting  and  (to  me) 
instructive  conversation,  full  of  reminiscences  of  my 
childhood  days ;  and  who  gave  me  the  greater  part  of  the 
data  concerning  the  Stanley  family,  which  I  have  related 
in  the  beginning  of  the  first  chapter.  I  refer  to  the  late 
Colonel  John  D.  Whitford,  who  during  a  long,  long  Kfe 
of  usefulness  had  contributed  towards  the  growth  and 
prosperity  of  his  native  town  and  state. 

Col.  Whitford,  if  I  mistake  not,  was  the  first  presi- 
dent of  the  Atlantic  and  North  Carolina  Railroad,  which 
extended  from  Goldsboro  to  Elizabeth  City,  and  did 
much  towards  putting  Newbeme  '*on  the  map." 

Speaking  of  social  politeness  and  courtesy,  Colonel 
Whitford  said  to  me:  "A  young  man  called  on  me,  re- 
cently; and,  in  conversation  with  me,  in  answer  to  one, 
of  my  questions,  he  said  'uh  huh!'  I  said  there's  my 
door:  I'll  have  no  one  in  my  house  who  *uh  hub's  me!" 
Such  was  the  *'old  time  gentleman."  His  kindhearted 
brother,  the  late  William  Whitford,  during  mother's  he- 
roic struggle  for  a  livelihood,  used  to  credit  her  for  a 
cord  of  fire-wood,  and  then  give  her  sewing  to  pay  for  it. 

I  have  written  this  narrative  of  my  life,  down  to  the 
present  date  in  the  Blackstone  Building,  during  the 
months  of  December,  1919,  and  January  and  February, 
1920,  inclusive,  during  such  vacant  spaces  of  time  as  I 
have  been  able  to  snatch  from  the  hours  of  my  profes- 
sional employment.  The  building  in  which  my  son,  Cap- 
tain William  R.  Green  and  I  have  our  offices,  is  the  first 
modem  building  in  which  we  have  been  enabled  to  rent 
a  suite  of  offices,  without  the  intervention  of  a  white 
man,  since  we  have  been  in  the  profession ;  which  fact  in- 

350 


spires  me  with  a  desire  to,  here  and  now,  express  deep 
latitude  to  Mr.  Jacob  B.  Perkins,  the  owner  of  the 
group  of  great  buildings,  of  which  this  is  one,  and  also 
his  noble  son.  Captain  Ralph  Perkins,  his  father's  alter 
ego,  for  their  liberal,  manly-American  treatment  of  us. 

During  my  long  and  eventful  life  in  Cleveland,  it  has 
been  my  pleasure — and  profit,  more  or  less,  to  meet,  in  a 
business  and  political  way,  five  members  of  the  illustri- 
ous family — Perkins;  who,  leaving  their  New  England 
homes,  in  the  infancy  of  our  great  Republic,  came  to  this 
Connecticut  Western  Reserve,  and  have  done  their 
''bit"  towards  making  it  one  of  the  most  liberal,  intelli- 
gent, patriotic  and  wealthy  sections  in  the  United  States. 

I  first  came  in  contact  with  the  late  Edwin  R.  Per- 
kins, when,  in  the  year  1858,  he  was  principal  of  the  his- 
toric Mayflower  School.  I  am  sure  that  the  juxtaposition 
of  his  ferrule  and  my  body,  had  as  much  to  do  with  my 
future  development  as  any  and  all  the  instruction  which  I 
received  from  him  in  the  class  room.  This  Mr.  Perkins, 
who  is  distantly  related  to  the  gentleman  whose  name.  I 
have  mentioned,  was,  subsequently,  President  of  our 
Board  of  Education  for  a  decade;  and,  ultimately  devel- 
oped into  the  president  of  one  of  our  great  banks  and 
a  railway. 

My  next  acquaintance  was  that  of  the  late  Joseph 
Perkins ;  a  gentleman  of  refinement,  large  means  and  ex- 
tended business  connections;  he  was  one  of  the  foremost 
minds  of  the  City  of  Cleveland,  during  his  hf e-time ;  and 
died  regretted  by  the  whole  business  community. 

Third,  in  order,  of  my  acquaintance,  was  the  late 
Senator  Henry  B.  Perkins,  whom  I  met  in  the  Senate  of 
the  State  of  Ohio,  when  he  was  an  honored  and  very  effi- 
cient member  of  that  body;  this  was  at  a  time  when  I 
was  a  member  of  the  lower  branch  of  the  General  As- 
sembly of  Ohio.  The  senator  was  held  in  high  esteem  by 
everyone  in  the  State  House,  from  the  Governor  down  to 

361 


the  pages;  and  was  greatly  missed  when  his  business  af- 
fairs would  no  longer  admit  of  his  attendance  there.  The 
large  and  substantial  business  block,  on  the  southeastern 
comer  of  Frankfort  Ave.  and  West  3d  Street,  built  and 
owned  by  him,  and  now  occupied  by  the  Forman  Bassett 
Company,  attests  how  near  and  valuable  he  was  to  the 
business  interests  of  Cleveland. 

Last,  but  by  no  means  least,  I  mention  my  present 
benefactor— Mr.  Jacob  B.  Perkins;  not  forgetting 
that  "chip  off  the  old  block,"  his  worthy  son,  Captain 
Ralph  Perkins. 

I  have  only  that  mutual  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Per- 
kins which  exists  between  a  landlord  and  a:  tenant,  if  I 
except  the  frequent  complimentary  mention  of  him,  which 
I  have  read  in  the  newspapers,  from  time  to  time. 

When,  under  the  administration  of  President  Mc- 
Kinley,  I  went  to  take  office,  in  Washington,  D.  C,  my 
exterior  wearing  apparel  consisted  of  a  "broadcloth" 
"Prince  Albert'*  coat,  with  trousers  and  vest  to  match — 
a.  shirt  front  of  immaculate  white,  containing  a  conspicu- 
ous diamond  stud,  and  a  silk  hat.  I  had  not  been  there 
long  before  I  noticed  that  I  was  dressed  finer  and  was 
far  more  conspicuous  than  most  of  the  senators  and  cabi- 
net officers.  It  took  little  time  for  me  to  change  my 
costume,  for  one  more  in  keeping  with  the  prevailing 
style. 

I  mention  this  fact  because  of  the  sui-prise  which  I 
^experienced  when  Mr.  Jacob  B.  Perkins  was  first  pointed 
out  to  me;  from  the  works  which  he  had  done  and  the 
great  liberality  he  had  shown,  in  providing  the  City  of 
Cleveland  its  first  modern  office  and  other  buildings,  with 
elevators,  and  its  great  and  beautiful  Edgewater  Park, 
located  on  the  "West  Side,''  but,  really  and  practically, 
used  and  enjoyed  by  the  whole  city,  I  had  expected  to 
see  a  gentleman  conspicuous  for  his  elegant  and  attrac- 
tive attire,  but  what  was  my  sui-prise  when  I  beheld  just 

352 


a  plain  gentleman,  reproducing  in  his  personal  appeai- 
ance  what  I  had  beheld  in  the  capital  of  our  nation  and 
amongst  the  business  men  of  some  of  the  commercial 
centers  which  I  had  visited — plain,  practical,  easily  ap- 
proached, and,  apparently,  oblivious  of  the  fact  that,  he 
is  one  of  the  great  builders  of  this  mart  of  commerce  and 
trade,  known  as  the  City  of  Cleveland — rightly,  the  fifth 
in  this  great  nation. 

Mr.  Perkins,  whether  actuated  by  modesty,  I  cannot 
say,  will  not  adm.it  that  he  donated  Edgewater  Park  to 
the  City  of  Cleveland;  but,  this  I  know  (for  it  all  was 
accom.plished  while  I  was  politically  in  the  public  eye), 
if  Mr.  Jacob  B.  Perkins  did  not  actually  present  to  the 
City  of  Cleveland  the  land  and  beautiful  lake  front  which 
constitutes  the  Edgewater  Park — he  did  present  a  portion 
of  it,  and  made  it  possible  for  our  city  to  obtain  the  re- 
mainder on  terms  which  necessitated  a  great  financial 
sacrifice  on  his  part.  And  it  ought,  in  my  own  estimation, 
to  be  named  for  him,  just  as  Wade  Park,  Gordon  Park 
and  Rockefeller  Park  are,  respectively  named  for  their 
donors. 

Hov;ever,  Mr.  Perkins  hai^ks  back  to  that  old  Simon 
Perkins,  v/ho,  when  everything  here  and  here-abouts  was 
young  and  **raw,''  came  like  Moses  Cleveland  as  a  sur- 
veyor, and  by  buying  spacious  tracts  of  land,  laid  the 
foundation  for  the  future  welfare  and  fame  of  his  poster- 
ity. May  the  name  Perkins  continue  illustrious,  and  their 
shadows,  never  grow  less! 

Seventy  years  have  elapsed  since  my  dear  father 
died,  in  1850,  leaving  Sarah,  11  years  of  age;  John,  5, 
and  Kittie,  nine  months  of  age.  Today  we  are  all  liviiiM 
and  able  to  help  ourselves;  nor  have  v/e,  during  the  sev 
enty  years,  last  past,  been  afflicted  with  any  serious  com- 
plaint— a  record,  I  think  for  which  we  should  be  praising 
God,  ''all  the  day  long/' 

353 


My  first  dear  wife,  Annie  Walker  Green,  the  mother 
of  all  my  children,  with  whom  I  lived  happily  and  suc- 
cessfully, for  forty-three  years,  and  whose  memory  will 
ever  be  sacredly  cherished  in  my  heart  and  memory,  died 
on  the  15th  day  of  January,  1911,  deeply  mourned  by  a 
large  circle  of  friends,  of  both  races.  She  will  be  re- 
membered by  many  for  her  un?elffish  generosity  and  her 
cheerful  disposition. 

When  she  died,  my  whole  family  was  dissolved ;  and 
T  was  left  entirely  alone  and — lonesome ;  in  this  exigency, 
remembering  the  declaration  of  the  Almighty  Father  of 
all  that,  *lt  is  not  good  that  man  should  be  left  alone,'' 
I  v.ooed  and  won  a  most  estimable  and  talented  lady  of 
Oberlin,  Ohio,  in  the  person  of  Mrs.  Lottie  Mitchell 
Richardson,  with  whom  I  am  passing  the  evening  of  m.y 
life,  in  a  most  happy  and  satisfactoiy  manner;  she  was 
the  relict  of  the  late  Albert  Richardson,  an  educated  and 
highly  respected  gentleman,  who,  cut  off  in  the  noon  day 
of  his  usefulness,  left  under  the  care,  education  and  con- 
trol of  his  widow,  three  infant  children,  aged  11  and  6 
years  and  4  months.  Two  of  these  children  are  still  liv- 
ing; the  boy,  Fred,  a  bright  and  promising  lad,  when  in 
his  17th  year  of  age,  and  a  member  of  the  Glenville  High 
School,  was  run  down  by  an  automobile,  in  charge  of  a 
careless,  reckless  driver,  and  killed,  when  in  the  act  of 
alighting  from  a  street-car.  The  elder  of  the  girls,  after 
being  gi'aduated  from  the  Cleveland  High,  and  normal 
school  systems,  taught  school  in  Cleveland  for  three 
years  and  is  now  engaged  in  Social  Welfare  work  in  New 
York  City;  while  the  youngest  child,  Helen,  is  at  this 
writing,  well  advanced  in  the  Junior  High  School  system ; 
and,  by  her  punctuality  and  love  of  letters,  gives  promise 
of  a  bright  and  useful  future. 

Helen  has  adopted  the  family  name,  Gi-een,  and  the 
love  between  her  and  me,  is  mutual. 


Of  my  children  by  my  first  wife,  three  are  still  living. 
The  oldest,  Captain  William  R.  Green,  is  still  engaged  in 
the  practice  of  law,  being  recognized  as  an  upright,  suc- 
cessful practitioner,  earnest  and  faithful,  while  he  and 
his  beloved  wife,  Mrs.  Agnes  Geraldine  Green,  of  whom  I 
have  spoken,  in  the  XVI  Chapter  of  this  narrative,  are 
greatly  beloved  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  of  both  races, 
in  the  City  of  Cleveland.   They  are  both,  devout  Catholics. 
Mrs.  Clara  Annie  Johnson,  the  wife  of  Dr.  C.  C. 
Johnson,  a  pharmacist,  who  is  most  loving  and  devoted 
to  his  wife  and  children,  is  my  only  daughter.    Three  little 
children  bless  this  union— PhilKs,  aged  11  years;  Wen- 
dell C,  aged  6  years,  and  Theodore  Green  Johnson,  aged, 
at  this  writing,  14  days.     Little  Phillis  is  fond  of  her 
school  and  studies,  and  gives  great  promise  of  a  literary 
career ;  while  the  little  boy,  also  loves  his  school  and  is  a 
thorough  boy;  as  for  the  latest  little  arrival,  let  us  say 
with  Wadsworth — 

"Heaven  lies  about  us  in  our  infancy; 
At  length,  the  man  perceives  it  die  away, 
And  fade  into  the  light  of  common  day." 

Gara,  my  daughter,  is  endued  with  all  those  womanly 
graces,  which  go  to  enhance  the  usefulness  and  value  of 
true  womanhood. 

Jesse  Bishop  Green  is  a  chef — and  a  good  one,  whose 
culinary  art  has  brought  pleasure  to  some  of  the  naost 
exacting  of  the  land.  He  is  fond  of  his  profession — or 
art — and  may  the  future  crown  him  with  success. 

Of  those  who  died  in  infancy,  little  Johnnie  was 
loving  and  hopeful;  but  death  claimed  him  when  he  was 
8  years  and  seven  months  of  age. 

In  this  connection,  perhaps,  the  following  reminis- 
cence, concerning  one  of  our  local  artists  will  be  of  in- 
terest to  a  large  circle  of  his  friends  and  admirers:  I 
refer  to  A.  M.  Willard,  Esq.,  the  painter  of  "Pluck  Num- 

365 


ber  One,"  and  "Pluck  Number  Two."  Two  famous 
sketches,  which,  a  generation  ago,  furnished  much  amuse- 
ment to  the  people  of  this  country;  and  also  the  inspira- 
tion and  painter  of  the  great  canvas,  known  the  world 
over,  entitled,  ''Yankee  Doodle,"  first  exhibited  at  the 
Centennial,  which  was  held  in  Philadelphia,  in  1876,  to 
celebrate  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  Indepen- 
dence of  the  United  States. 

When  our  son  Johnnie  died,  we  had  no  likeness  of 
him,  later  than  the  second  year  of  his  age,  and  we  were 
at  a  loss  to  know  how  to  obtain  one,  as  he  was  then,  eight 
years  and  seven  months  of  age;  in  that  contingency,  it 
occurred  to  me  that,  if  I  could  persuade  Mr.  Willard  to 
enter  the  vault  and  sketch  his  features  as  he  lay  in  the 
casket,  it  would  supply  the  deficit. 

The  great  artist  yielded  to  my  suggestion,  and  got  a 
good  likeness  of  the  little  deceased  boy. 

Then,  we  were  in  a  quandary,  as  to  how  to  reproduce 
his  eyes,  for  they  were  closed  and  could  not  be  seen  by 
the  artist.  In  that  extremity,  I  had  recourse  to  a  photo 
of  the  child,  taken  when  he  was  two  years  of  age;  and 
with  this  before  him,  Mr,  Willard,  added  the  eyes  to  the 
sketch ;  and,  to  this  day,  we  have  in  our  possession  a  true 
likeness  of  Johnnie,  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Truman  Handy  Green,  a  dear  sweet  little  boy,  lived 
only  about  seven  months. 

Last,  but,  not  least,  I  name  my  son,  the  late  Theodore 
Bliss  Green,  Esq.,  an  attorney  at  law  of  the  Ohio  Bar,  a 
married  man,  a  loving  husband  and  affectionate  son  and 
brother.  "Dode,"  as  his  very  large  circle  of  friends  and 
admirers  termed  him,  was  jovial,  good  natured,  faithful 
and  industrious,  to  a  fault;  he  loved  his  chosen  profes- 
sion; and  courted  it  as  Lord  Coke's  "jealous  mistress." 
A  year  or  two  before  his  death  he  came  within  about 
one  hundred  votes  of  being  elected  to  a  six-year  term  as 
a  judge  of  our  municipal  court. 

356 


THEODORE  BLISS  GREEN 


*'Dode"  was  so  extremely  militant  in  behalf  of  the 
rights  and  wrongs  of  the  colored  people,  that  some  re- 
garded him  as  being  super-sensitive,  and  did  not  like 
him ;  but  that  did  not  woiTy  him ;  when  he  believed  that 
his  cause  was  just,  he  fought  for  it — manfully  and  per- 
sistently, to  the  end. 

Theodore  died  at  the  age  of  40  years,  young  in  years, 
but  old  in  labours  and  experience.  He  left  behind  him 
only  friends,  no  enemies.  His  disconsolate  widow,  Mrs. 
Edna  Jenkins  Green,  still  a  young  woman,  a  teacher  in 
our  public  schools,  continues  to  mourn  his  loss ;  while  his 
father,  brothers  and  sister,  pray  for  the  repose  of  his 
soul. 

In  closing  this  narrative,  I  will  state  that,  the  re- 
ports, which,  from  time  to  time  have  been  current  as  to 
my  acquaintance  with  the  classical  languages  and  litera- 
ture have  been  much  exaggerated;  the  fact  is,  that,  I 
cannot  even  boast  of  Shakespeare's  "little  Latin  and  less 
Greek;"  the  best  I  can  say  for  myself  is,  that,  I  have 
a  mere  "smattering"  of  the  two  languages.  I  tried  to 
study  Latin  without  a  teacher,  and  thereby  omitted  some 
of  the  fundamental  instruction,  at  the  beginning,  which 
has  handicapped  me  all  the  way  through.  As  for  Greek, 
I  did  not  give  enough  time  to  the  study  of  it  to  get  it 
thoroughly  within  my  grasp.  I  have  tried  to  make  up  for 
my  loss  by  studying  during  my  later  years ;  but,  without 
much  success.  As  for  French,  I  have  found  the  reading 
of  that  beautiful  language  comparatively  easy;  but,  I 
am  now  reading  one  of  Emile  Zola's  works,  entitled  La 
Terre,  quite  bucolic  in  its  nature,  which  requires  much 
use  of  the  lexicon. 

So  I  would  advise  all  my  young  friends  who  may  hon- 
or me  by  reading  this  story  of  my  life,  to  be  quite 
thorough  in  the  early  stages  of  any  study ;  if  they  expect 
to  be  proficient  therein. 

357 


The  changes  which  have  transformed  a  few  compara- 
tively ignorant  colored  people  of  the  day  of  my  arrival 
here,  into  a  multitude  of  cultured  and  refined  persons  of 
the  present  day,  have  been  truly  marvelous.    Certainly, 
there  were  in  Cleveland  at  that  time  a  cultured  and  re- 
fined society  of  well-to-do  colored    people,    who    owTied 
their  own  homes — possessed  trades  and  definite  occupa- 
tions and  were  fairly  well  educated;  but  they  had  not 
even  thought  of  holding  public  offices,  and  depended  upon 
a  decision  of  our  state  Supreme  Court  for  the  right  to 
vote — since  the  Constitution  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  then 
— as  now — restricted  the  electoral  to  "all  white  male  citi- 
zens;" but,  since  then,  v/e  have  many  times  duplicated 
our  numbers — have  grown  along  intellectual,  esthetic  and 
financial  lines,  have  added  to  our  numbers  many  mem- 
bers in  all  the  professional,  artistic  and  mercantile  pur- 
suits, and  have  been  elected  to  serve  in  some  of  the  most 
honorable  public  offices  within  the  gift  of  a  generous 
people. 

In  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State,  we  can  name, 
in  tiie  regular  order  of  their  election,  the  following: 
1 — The  writer  of  this  narrative, 
2 — Honorable  Jere  A.  Brown, 
3 — Honorable  Harry  C.  Smith, 
4— Honorable  William  H.  Clifford, 
5 — Honorable  Henry  T.  Eubanks. 
In  1873  and  continuously,  until  1882,  this  writer  was 
elected,  tri-ennially,  and  for  nine  consecutive  years,  dis- 
charged the  functions  of  Justice  of  the  Peace  of  Cleve- 
land Township;  and  during  a  portion  of  that  time,  Messrs. 
Parker  Hare,  Louis  W.  Turner  and  J.  H.  Washington — 
all  colored  men,  were  elected  and  discharged  the  duties  of 
constable,  in  the  same  township. 

Thomas  W.  Fleming,  Esq.,  a  colored  gentleman  of 
great  popularity  and  much  executive  ability,  has,  on  three 

358 


occasions,  been  elected  a  member  of  the  Council  of  the 
City  of  Cleveland;  once,  at  Large. 

Mr.  Fleming  is,  at  this  writing,  chaimian  of  the 
Council  Committee  on  Police,  etc. 

Numerous  men  of  our  race-class  have  been  appomted, 
and  most  of  them  ai-e  now  serving  on  our  splendid  police 
force;  and  what  seems  to  this  narrator  one  of  the  great- 
est achievem.ents  of  our  class,  in  Cleveland,  is  the  fact 
that  many  of  our  educated,  cultured  and  refined  daugh- 
ters, after  strict  examinations,  have  been  appointed 
teachers,  in  our  public  schools. 

Along  the  line  of  journalism,  for  many  years,  the 
colored  people  of  Cleveland,  have  been  represented  by 
men  of  more  or  less  ability,  all  of  whom  have  ining  true 
to  the  interests  of  our  race.  Taking  them  in  order  of 
time,  I  can  now  recall:  H.  C.  Smith,  R.  A.  Jones,  L.  W. 
Pulies,  Welcome  T.  Blue,  Nahum  D.  Brasher,  Ormond  A. 
Forte  and  "Professor"  S.  William,  A.  B. 

Could  some  of  our  old  colored  pioneers,  who  have 
gone  to  rest,  come  amongst  us  today,  and  note  the  won- 
derful progress  which  we  have  made,  since  their  day— 
notably— old  Father  John  Malvin,  v/ho  gave  of  his  time. 
money  and  almost,  his  life,  in  the  anti-slavery  cause,  and 
Allen  Medlin,  J.  R.  Warren,  Slisha  Freeman,  Benjamin 
S.  Green,  David  Crosby,  J.  H.  Weaver,  Cicero  M.  Rich^ 
ardson,  George  Vosburgh,  Eldei-s  J.  R.  Warren  and  J. 
P.  Underwood;  Buckner  and  John  Simmons,  E.  L.  Sweet, 
and  dear  old  centennarian,  Mrs.  Polly  Simmons,  not  to 
mention  many  others,  who  did  right  vahantly  in 
the  cause  of  liberty,  good  government  and  worthy  citi- 
zenship, how  suiprised  and  happy  they  would  be ! 

Tnily,  "This  is  the  Lord's  doing;  it  is  marvelous  in 
our  eyes. 


')r><) 


INDEX 


— A— 

Abbey,   Westminster, 
Academy,  Green, 
Adams,  Seymour  F.,  117 
Adelphi  (Hotel),  224 
Adnette,  Dr.,  224 
Adrian  &  Vallers,  131,  3,  4 
Akers,  W.  J.,  849 
Alexander,  John  W. 
Allen,  Senator,  144 
Allen,  Temple,  108 
Allen,  Ex-Governor,  156 
Alston,  Rev.  W.  J.,  15,  80,  110 
Alston,  Oscar,  16 
Alston,  Miss  Mary,  80 
Alstons,  The,  220 
Angier  House,  60,  94 
Andersonville    Prison,   96 
Andrews,  Horace,  111 
Appian  Way,  298 
Amette,  Bishop  B.  W.,  179 
Atkinson,  Rt.  Rev.,  13 
Augfustus  Caesar,  299 
Auntie  Little,  27,  49 

— B— 

Baptist  Church,  First,  61 

Baptist  Church,  Second.   61 

1-aldwin,  E  I.,  107 

tlamfido,   306 

Haker,  Hon.  Newton  D.,  176.  177 

282 
Dabcock,  Judge  W.  A.,  163,  164,  65 
i-arris,  Miss  Emma  G.,  Ill 
Saird,  Samuel  H.,  91 
Bassett,  C.  O.,  Ill 
Bede,  "Granny,"  6 
I'eecher,  Henry  Ward,  231 
Hethel  Church,  58,  65 
Pennett,  James  Gordon,  306 
Bermettsville,  8,  126,  141,  145 
Benachie,  "Old,"  257 
Bsltz,  Edward,  166 
Berce,  General,  116 
Bishop,  Judge  Jesse  P.,  117.  120 
Birch  Hotel,  114 


Birch,  Father,  114 

Bislette,  Mgr.,  302 

Bittinger,  Rev.  Mr.,  87 

Blair,  Mr.,  9 

Blarney  Stone,  168,  326 

Bliss,  Theodore,  108,  109,  110.  3Si 

Bliss,  George,  108,  336,  337 

Bliss,  Anna  Catherine,  335 

Bloch,  Hon.  J.  C,  199 

Blee,  Mayor  Robert,  345 

Blue,  Mr.  Welcome,  359 

Booth,  J.  Wilkes,  59 

Boswell,  James,  238 

Bokive,  John  Knox,  246 

Bohm,  Ed.,  Esq.,  159 

Boehne,  Esq.,  159 

Boniface,  Pope,  IV.,  299 

Boiden.  "Mother,"  304 

Bragg,  Cicero  and   Edwin,   30 

Brinsmade,  Miss  Eliza,  75 

Brasher,  Nahum,  359 

Brinsmade,  Col.  Allan  T..  75 

BRITAIN,  GREAT,  222 

Brush,  Chas.  F.,  Ill,  308 

Brewington,  Wm.  R.,  125,  6,  127, 

132,  134 
Brewington,  "Jim,"  125 
Brewington,  John  R.,  132,  133 
Brewington,  MoUie,  132 
Brunner,  Hon.,  177 
BrowTi,  Hon.  Jere  A.,  181,  358 
Brov>m,  Rev.  J.  T.,  278 
Broughsn,  Lord,  184 
Bruce,  Robert,  236 
Bruce,  Blanche  K.,  276 
Bright,  John,   239 
Brown,  Fayette  F.,  90 
Brown,  John  Box,  242 
Buxten,  Rev.  Dr.,  13 
Buchanan,  James,  44 
Bumette,  Judge  M.  C,  286 
Bumette,  House.  189 
Burton,   Sen.  T.   E.,  152.  348 
Burke,  Judge  Simmond,  162 
Bunnell,  "Muck,"   170 
Byron,  Lord,  212 
Burns,  Bobby,  238 


360 


Catacombes  of  Calixtus,  297,  299 

Carnegie,  Andrew,  243 

Cardozo,  Henry,  93 

Carter,  Sophia,  147,  150 

Caine,  Hon.  A.  C,  204,  205 

Calhon,  John  C,  156 

Carran,  John  J.,  Esq.,  152,  169 

Carran,  Thomas,  Esq.,  152 

Carpenter,  Frank  G.,  157 

Caesar,  Julius,  286,  298 

Callixtus,  Saint,  2299 

Caesar,  Augustus,  299 

Canon  Gate,  244 

Carlyle,  Thomas,  144,  238 

Carrubbers  Close,  243 

Caroline  Queen,  184 

Campbell,  Gov.  J.  E.,  189,  190 

Calton,  Hill,  244 

Central  High  School,  61,  112.  77 

Cheatam,  Ex.  M.  C,  257 

Chandler,  Frank,  81 

Chase,  W.  Calvin,  276 

Chance,  M.  O.,  272 

Chesnutt,  A.  J.,  47 

Chesnutt,  Chas.  W.,  Esq.,  125,  147 

Chestnut,  of  Sampson  Co.,  6 

Chestnut,  Obedience,  6 

Chestnut,  Alice,  6 

Chestnut,  William,  6 

Chapel  Hill,  N.  C,  16 

Christian,  Geor-re  B..  81 

Clark,  Wm.  T.,  150,  154,  191> 

Cleveland,  Moses,  353 

Clav,  Henry,  2,  156 

Cleveland,  Ohio,  64,  65,  71,  73 

Clifford,  Hon.  Wm.  H.,  192,  358 

Clifford,  Rev.   Dr.,   225,   230,  233, 

234,  346 
Clinton  Park,  61 
Coliseum,  Roman,  296 
Cook,  308 

Covert,  Hon.  John  C,   153 
Colthurst,  Sir  George,  327 
Cowles,  Hon.  Edwin,  lg3 
Cobb,  Jas.  A.,  Esq.,  2276 
Cortelyou,  Hon.  Geo.  B.,  278 
Commercial  Hotel,  79 
Cooley,  Hon.  Han-Is  R.,  282 
Constantine,  The  Emperor,  298 
Coxie,  Michael,  312 
Cobden,  Richard 
Couldock,  An  Actor,  59 

361 


Coates,  CuUem,  Esq.,  118 
Cook,  Frank  139 
Covington,  Harris,  Esq.,  142 
Cope,  Hon.  Oliver  G.,  173 
Combes,  Florine  A.,  185 
Cork,  Ireland,  326 
Conkling,  Ben  Roscoe,  237 
Crosby,  David 
Creighton,  Col..  95 
Cromwell,  Oliver,  330 
Crane,  Lieut.  Col.,  95 
Crossland,  John  W.,  139 
Crowell.  Cen.  John,  118,  119 
Gushing,  W.  E.,  Esq.,  Ill,  112 
Curtiss,  Councilman,  74,   191 


Dartmouth  College,  74 

Daily  News.  London.  266 

Dale,  Dr.  Ellis  A.,  12.5 

David,  King,  244 

Dall,  James.  81 

Dall,  Andrew,  81 

Dancev,  John  C,  267,  276 

Davids,  "Old  Man,"  80 

Dewhurst.  Miss  Anna,  90 

DeWitt,  J.  H.,  101,  102 

DeWolf,    Homer    B.,     Esq..     154, 

155,  183. 
DeStael,  Madame,  297 
Dick,  Senator  Chas.,  218 
Dick,  "Old,"  45 
Dickinson,  Mi?s  Anna,  59 
Dickens,  Chas.,  307 
Douda."^??,  Frederick.   12.   24,  231, 

241,  316. 
Doug! ass,  Chas.  and   Lewis,   276 
Donald,  Judge  John  R.,  27,  28,  48 
Doubledav  Sleeper,  57,  102 
Dover,  Hon.  Flmer,  268 
Dred,  Scott,  2.?1 
Dublin,  Ireland,  331,  332 
Dudley,  Col.  C.  W.,  145 
Dundee,  Scotland,  248 
Duncan,  Rev..  253 
Dunmaurier.  A.uthor,  322 
Dunbar,  Paul  Laurence,  276 

— E— 

Eaton,  General,  211 
Easterly,  Joel-,  Esq.,  1422 
Edwards,  S.  J.,  Ceelstin,  225,  234 


Eddy,  S.  M.,  154 

Edwards,  Gen.  Clarence  R.,   272, 

273 
Eells,  Mrs.  Dan  P.,  115 
Eells,  Dan  P.,  107,  114,  IIB 
ElCaney,  Cuba,  271 
Eells,  Rev.  Jas.,  104 
Ellis,  Miss  Arete,  25 
Ely,  Senator  Geo.  A., 
Ellsler,  John  A.,  59 
Ellsler,  Mrs.  Effie,  59 
Emmanuel,  Victor,  299 
Eubanks,  Henry  T.,  348.  358 
Estep,  Judge  Chas.  J.,  284 
Everett,  K.  G.,  228 
Evans,  Capt.  W.  B..  276 
Evans,  Capt.  W.  B.,  276 
Evans,  DeScott,  168,  169 
Ewing,  Harrison  J.,  183 

Farmer,  Mrs.  Lydia  Hoyt,  85 
Fabius,  299 

Farrelly,  Rt.  Rev.  John  P.,  301 
Farrar,  Canon,  Fred'k  Wm.,  224, 

225,  230 
Fawkes,  Guy,  33 
FaircMlds,   President,  72,  220 
Ferdinands,  Dr.  Geo.,  252,  255 
Finney,  Rev.  Chas.,  72 
First  Church,  Oberlin,  72 
Fish-wife,  245 
Planner's  Cooper  Shop,  29 
Fleming,  Thos.  V/.,  Esq.,  368 
Forest  Hill,  Cleveland,  220 
Forest  City  House,  59 
Foote,  Judge  Horace,  31 
Fox,  Dr.  J.  B.,  185 
Ford.  L.  G.,  Esq.,  185 
Foraker,  Hon.  J.  B.,  189 
Fortune,  T.   Thomas,   268 
Forth  Bridge,  245 
Forte,  Ormond  A.,  359 
Forum,  Roman,  298 
Fremont,  John  C,  44 
Francisco,  "Johnnie,"   150 
Francarola,  Incenzo,  314 
Freeman,  Elisha,  359 
Freeze,  Andrew,  77,  78 
Funchal,  Madeira  Island,  287 

— G— 
Gam.hetta,  Leon,  231 
Gaston,  William,  1,  2,  5 


Gambier,  Ohio,  16 
Gardner,  A.  S.,  107 
Garver,  Judge  J.  T.,  118,  119 
Garfield,  James  A.,  175,  206,  237. 

342 
Garfield,  James  R,,  206 
Garrison,  William  Lloyd-  240 
Garrett,  Edward,  252 
Gallagher,  Michael,  168 
Gary,  P.  M.,  General  266 
George,  Lloyd,  233 
Genoa,  Italy,  289 
Gcstler,  Swiss  Tyrant, 
Gibson    House,    Cincinnati,     189, 

224 
Gilpin,  John,  39,  291 
Gillette,  Mr.,  114 

Gordon,  Susan,  Duchess  of  Man- 
chester, 256 

Giles,  Saint,  243 

Giteau,  Assassin,  175 

Gibraltar,  Rock  of,  288 

Glasgow,  Scotland,  259 

Goulder,  Harvey  D.,  Ill 

Gordon,  W.  J.,  Esq.,  198,  223 

Gordon  Castle,  255 

Gordon,  Duke  of,  256 

Gothic  Architecture,  311 

Graham,  Dr.  and  Mrs.,  294,  305 

Green,  John  P.,  1 

Green,  John  R.,  1,  20,  47 

Green,  Temperance,   1,   5 

Green.  Sarah  R..  100 

Green,  Mrs.  Sally,  15 

Green,  Mrs.  Annie  Laura,  304,  353 

Green,  Mrs.  Lottie  E.,  353 

Green.   Capt.    Wm.   R.,    233,   277, 
301 

Gi^en.  Mrs.  Agnes,  301 

Green,  Theodore  B.,  Esq.,  355 

Green,   Miss  Kittie  Stanley,  100 

Green,  Jesse  Bishop,  354 

Green,  Miss  Clara  Annie,  354 

Green,  Miss  Helen,  353 

Green,  Mr.  Rigdon.  277 

Green,  Mr.  Benjamin 

Green.  James,  49 

Green,  Shade,  50 

Green,  Johnnie.  355 

Grant,  Judge  John  G.,  131 
Grant,   U.   S.,   145 
Greelev.  Horace,  146,  179 
Green  Springs,  W.  Va.,  263 


362 


I 


Green,  Truman  Handy,  355 
Green,  Mrs.  Theodore  B.,  356 
Green,  F.  W.,  153 
Griffin,  Abner,  220 
Greene,  Gen.  Nathaniel,  2 
Grosvenor,  Gen.  Chas.,  178 

— H— 

Hadden,     Hon.     Alexandel',     154, 

182 
Hayes,  Ex-Pres.,   187 
Harris,  Gov.  Andrew  L.,  194 
Halm,  Hon.  Wm.,  262 
Hawkins,  J.  R.,  149,  150 
Hare,  Parker,  152,  167,  358 
Hayes,  Ex-Pres.,  187 
Hardie,  Kier,  333,  334 
Hazle,  R.  G.,  44 
Hannah,  "Aunt,"  11,  27 
Hancock,  Town  Sergeant,  32 
Hancock,  Richard  W.,  33,  56 
Harper's  Ferry 
Hanna,  Robert,  89 
Hanna,  Doctor,  89 
Hanna,   Senator   M.    A.,   89,   114, 

201 
Hanna,  L.  C,  Esq.,  89 
Hanna,  Dan  R.,  347 
Harvey,  A.   H.,  90 
Harding,  W.  G.,  348 
Haworth,  Jehu,  91 
Handy,  Truman  P.,  104,  105 
Hawes,  Rev.  Dr.,  108 
Harris,  Andrew  L.,  Gov.,   194 
Harris,  Colonel,  114 
Harris,  Robert,  123,  124 
Harris,  Bishop,  123 
Harrington,  John  W.,  141 
Harvey,  Jere,  17,  18 
Hathaway,  Hon.,  171 
Herrick,  Hon.  Myron  T..  152,  342 
Heber,  Bishop,  236 
Hebe,  cu^-bearer 
Heisley,  "S^Ir"  William,   152 
Heller,  C.  R.,  152 
Herrick,  R.  R.,  154 
Herald,  evening 
Heisel  &  Sons,  121 
Hiram  College,    164 
Hedge,  Hon.  O.  J.,  172,  173,  174 
Hoardley,  Gov.  Geo.,  170 
Hogarth,  Painter, 
Holy  Rood  Palace,  244 

363 


Holden,  R.  L.,  118,  147 

Holmes,  Thorp,  96 

Hood.  Stephen,  154,  155 

Homer,  R.  R.,  274 

Holand,  Milton,  276 

Hood,  Stephen,  154 

Hopkins,  Theodore,  Prof.,  Ill 

Hoyt,  James  M.,  84,  86 

Hoyt,  Rev.  Wayland,  84 

Hoyt,  Colgate.  85 

Hoyt,  James  H.,  85 

Hoyt,  Elton,  85 

Holyrood  Palace,  244 

Homer's  Iliad,  237 

Hotel  Dieu,  322 

Holmes,  Duncan,  123 

Home,  John,  235 

Huntley,  Scotland,  256 

Huntington,  John,  150,  224 

Hnme,   David,  historian,   238 

Hudson  School,  77 

Hunt,  Byron,  Esq.,  114,  148 

Hudson,  Col.  J.  L.,  137 

Hoyer,  Dr.  J.  L.,  281 

— I— 
Ignatz,  Saint 
Ingersoll.  Miss  Mary,  111 
Ingram,  Hon.  A.   F.   Wdnnington, 

227 
Ireland,  Archbishop,  274 
Isis,  Temple  of,  294 
Ives,  Rt.  Rev.,  13 

— J— 
James  II,  of  England,  5 
James,  "Elder,"  82 
Jacobes,  Mr.,  110 
Jackson,  Hon.  Geo.  H..  200 
Jimmie  "Irish,"  29,  34 
Joiner,  William  A.,  276 
Jones,  "Uncle"  Balaam,  29,  34 
Johnson,  "Tom"  L.,  176,  201,  348, 

177.   178 
Jolinson,  Miss  Phillis,  355 
Johnson,  Wendell  C,  355 
Johnson,  Theodore  G.,  355 
Johnson,  Miss,  75 
Johnson,  Andrew,  Ex-Pres.,  4 
Jegerson,  Thomas,   Ex-Pres., 
Johnson,  Dr.  C.  C,  355 
Johnson,  Laura,  52 
Johnson,  Clara  Annie,  355 


Jones,  R.  A.,  359 
Judd,  Frank.  132 
Judy»  John  M.,  264 

— K— 

Kaiser,  Peter  H.,  154,  182 
Keep,  Father,  72 
Kenyon  College,  16 
Kellogg,  John  H.,  Sr.,  123 
Kellogg,  John  H.,  Jr.,  123 
Kennedy,  Judge  Thomas  M.,  344 
Kerruish,  W.  S.,  Esq.,  159,  160 
Kerens,  Col.,  262 
King,  Henry,  81 
Kingsley,  Chas.,  209 
Kline,  Virgil  P.,  152 
Kiel,  August,  166 
Killarney,  Lakes  of,  328,  329 
Kolbe,  Geo.  A.,  159,  165 
Kruger,  Carl,  111 
Ku-Klux-Klan,  143 
Knox,  John.  238,  243 


Lavvs,  Rev.  Dr.,  239 
Langston,  John  M.,  ITI,  172 
Labor  Day,  188 
Lampson,  Lieut.  Gov.,  194 
Laurinburgh.  132 
Lateran,  St.  John,  300 
Lake  City,  So.  Carolina,  269 
Lewis,  James,  59 
Leaiy,  Sheridan 
Leonard,  Miss  Mary  J.,  75 
Leo,  Mother  Ann,  81 
Lee,  River,  826 
Lewis,  a  farm-hand,  8 
I-^ader,  The  Cleveland,  153 
Leech,  Mrs.  Eliza,  225,  234 
Lendrum,  Rev.  R.  A.,  245,  246 
Leith,  Mr.  John,  252,  254 
Leonard,  Rt.  Rev.,  227.  229,  338 
Lincoln,  Abraham,  24,  97 
Lourie,   Henry,  81 
Lourie,  Hugh,  81 
Lourie,  Rev.  Walter,  91 
Lowman,  Dr.  John  H.,  Ill 
T  oudin,  Fred  J.,  225 
Livingstone,  David,  238 
Livingston,  John  Knox,  137 
Lyons,  Hon.  Judson  W.,  276 
I  uxembourg,  Paris,  324 


— M— 

MacDuff,  69 
Maria,  Cousin,  27 
Mayflower  School,  74 
Mather,  Samuel,  111 
Mathews,  Rt.  Rev..  228 
Maxamilian,  Grand  Duke,  310 
Mitchell,  Lottie  E.,  354 
Mitchell,  Rev.,  President  of  Wil- 

berforce.  187 
Morton,  Levi  P.,  108 
Mentzendorf,  L.,  225,  234 
Malvin,  John,  859 
Maxwell,  Henry  J.,  128,  132,  141 
Mail  and  Express,  New  York 
Martineau,  Harriet,  234 
Maccaulay,  Historian,  238 
Marshall,  Miss  Josephine,  239 
Mary,  Queen  of  Scotland,  243 
Mathew,  Father,  326 
Mayo,  Isabella  Fyvle,  252 
MacKay,  Rev.,  253 
Marshall,  Judge  John,  161 
Malloy,  Rev.  Father,  304 
Marshall,  Miss,  239 
Mather,  Mrs.  Samuel,  111 
elodeon  Hall,  60 
Medlin,  Allen,  359 
Meeker,  Claude,  189 
Medill,  Joseph,  153 
Menger,  George,  165 
Merritt,  Gen.  John  A.,  267 
Meagher,  Thomas  Francis,  325 
Mitchell,  Alexander,  42 
Milcha,  John.  209,  230,  234,  236 
Miller,  Mrs.  J.,  239 
Mix,  R.  E.,  152 
Moorfield,  W.  Va.,  263,  2<T4 
Miller.  Prof.  Kelieyn,  276 
Monroe,  Prof.  James,  72 
Morris,  Freeman  H.,  59 
Morgue,  Paris,  822,  323 
Morgan,  Prof.,  72 
Morgan,  Mr.,  116 
Moor  of  Venice,  214 
Moody,  Dwight  L.,  243 
Mueller,  Jacob,  159 
Murray,  Daniel,  276,  344 
Myers,  Hon.  Geo.  A,,  268 


364 


— Mc— 
MacDuff,  37 
McAlister,  Col.,  Ill 
McCall,  Charlie.  127 
McCarthy,  The,  328 
McColl,  Peter,  138 
McColl,  Duncan  D.,  137,  140 
McCormich,  Mrs.  Edith,  217 
McCullock,  Actor,  59 
McDermott,  Mon.  Mr..  186 
McFarland,  W.  C,  Esq.,  121,  151 
Mclntyre,  Barry,  136 
McKinley,  William,  89,  205,   206, 

207 
McKinney.  Judge  Henry,  185 
McLaren,  Duncan,  239 
McLaren,    Walter    Stowe    Bright, 

239 
McLaughlin,  J.  B.,  Esq..  169,  170 
McMahon,  Rev.  Fr.  William,  301 
McQuaig,  John,  138,  143 
McRae,  Irene,  143 
McGrath,  J.  W.,  152 

— N— 
Napoleon  the  Great,  325 
Napoleon  Third,  310 
Naples,  Italy,  289 
Newbume,  N.  C,  1,  56,  59 
Nelson,  Miss  Sarah  A.,  74,  75.  76 
Neff,  William  A.,  87 
Neff,  "Ike,"  88 
Neff,  Judge  William  B.,  154,  180, 

182 
Neff,  Horace,  Esq.,  280 
Newton,  H.  Pope,  137 
Neuse  River,  20,  32 
New  York,  54.  55 
"Nick,"  an  Italian,  290 
Nicholl,     Mrs.     Elizabeth    Peace, 

240 
Nicholl,  Prof.  John  Pringle.  2240 
Notre  Dame,  320,  321 
Norton,  Prof.  Sidney  A.,  Ill 
Noble,  Judge  Conway  W.,  152 

—0— 
Oberhn,  Ohio,  16,  45,  62,  65,   72, 

73 
O'Connell,  Daniel.  240 
O'Donoghue,  The,  330 
Old  Stone  Church,  60 
Otis,  W.  A.,  107 
Outhwaite,  Joseph,  111 


Paine,  Judge  R.  S.,  155 
Parks  and  Boulevards,  223 
Park,  Wade,  352 
Park,   Gordon.   352 
Park,  Rockefeller,  352 
Park,  Clinton,  352 
Park^  Edgewater,  352 
Patterson,  Dr.  Maurice,  243 
Patterson,  John,  62,  65 
Patterson,  R.  H.,  242 
Patterson,  Henry  O.,  65 
Parsley,  O.  G.,  123 
Pavne,  Senator  Henry  B.,  181 
Park,  Goodale,   190 
Parker,  Senator  Wilbur,  198 

Parker,    Rev.    Joseph,    225.     230. 
231,  232,  233 

Paderewski,  Pianist,  226 

Paine,  R.  F„  Jr.,  157 

Paxton,  Rev.  B.  W.,  389 

Peck,  Prof.,  72 

Perkins,  Jacob   B.,   60,    198,   351, 
352 

Perkins,  Capt.  Ralph,  351 

Perkins,  E.  R..  74,  75,  77 

Perkins,  Henry  B.,  351 

Perkins,  Simon,  353 

Perkins,  Mourice.  153 

Pius  X.,  Pope,  301,  303,  305. 

Pompeii,  Italy,  294 

Public  Square,  Cleveland,  58 

Pulies,,  L.  W.,  359 

Purvis,  Dr.,  277 

Phibbs,  Geo.  T.,  167,  168 

Price,  Mrs.  Hattie,  50 

Press.   Penny,   158 

-Q- 

Quartier,  Latin,  319,  321 
Queen  Mar>^  243 

— R— 

Ramsay,  Allan,  238 
Ramsay,  Dean,  253 
Ranney,  Judge  Rufus  P.,  161 
Rankin,  Pres.  J.  E..  261 
Reed,  Thomas  Buchanan,  134 
Rhodes,  Dan  P.,  114 
Rice,  Sarah,  3 
Ricks,  Joseph  H.,  99 
Richards,  Captain  J.  M.,  100,  101 
161 


365 


Rickoff,  Andrew  J.,  117 
Richardson,  C.  M.,  148 
Richardsons,  The,  220 
Richardson,  Dr.  Geo.  H.  276 
Richardson,  Albert,  354 
Richardson,  Fred,  354 
Richardson,  Helen  Green,  364 
Richardson,  Inez  M.,  354 
Robinson,  William,  Esq.,  154.  182 
Rome,  Italy,  295 
Romulus  and  Remus,  296 
Riddle,  Hon.  A.  G.,  162 
Rollin,  Charles,  98 
Rock,  Cemeter3^  105 
Rockefeller,  John  D.,   76,  80,   81, 

210,  212,  223 
Rockefeller,   Mrs.   John    D„    216, 

224 
Rockefeller,  Frank,  81 
Rockefeller's  Church,  61 
Rouse,  Deacon,  59 
Roderigne,   Dr.,   130 
Roosevelt,  Ex-President,  273,  288 
Roper,  Mr.  Ed.,  135 
Rude,  Mrs.  Sarah  A.,  75 
Ross,  Castle,  328 
Rutland,  Judge  J.  M.,  137 
Russell,  L.  A.,  Esq..  178 
Ryan,  Daniel,  202 
Ryan,  W.  R.,  167 

—S— 
Saleeby,  Mrs.  F.  M..  238,  244 
Sampson,  James,  122 
Sampson,  Wdlliam,  122 
Sampson,  Joseph,  122 
Sampson,  B.  K.,  122 
Sampson,  John  P.,  122 
Sampson,  George  W.,  122,  26 
Sampson,  Nathan,  - 
Sampson,  Susie,  123 
Sampson,  Fannie,  123 
Sampson,  Mary,  123 
Sampson,  Minerva,  123 
Sampson,  George  W.,  Jr.,  125 
Sampson,  Fred,   125 
Sampson,  Mrs.  Hattie  Dale,  126 
San  Juan,  Cuba,  271 
Sawyer,  E.  J.,  Esq.,  136 
Sawyer,  E.  J.,  Sr.,  136 
Sangster  and  Family,  239 
Saterlee,  Bishop  H.  Y.,  277 
Scott,  Governor,  139 


Scott,  John  H.,  62,  64,  65,  67,  70 
Scott,   Mrs.  Celia,  63,  69 
Schurz,  Carl,  159 
Schwab,  Solomon,  185 
Schofield,  Levi  P.,  191 
Schmidt,  J.  W.,  159 
Scott,  Sir  Walter,  259 
Screen  Anti-Bill,  196 
Scottron,  Samuel  R.,  287 
Sheridan,  Gen.   Phil.,   134 
Sherman,  Senator  John,  272,  343 
Shepherd,  Col.  Eliott  F.,  207,  228, 

224 
Sharpe,  L.  G.,  226,  234 
Shadd,  Dr.  Firmdn,  277 
Shakers,  The,  81 
St.  Peter's  Church,  296,  300 
Simpson,  Dr.  Williams,  243 
St.  John  Lateran,  300 
Shurtliff,  Prof.,  72 
Siegel,  General  Franz,  159 
Skeene,  Miss  Kittie  T.,  213 
Skeene,  Sarah  R.,  100 
Slade,  Ed.  P.,  Esq.,  154  163 
Slade,  Albert  T.,  163 
Smalls,  Captain  Robert,  143 
Smith,  The   Hon.   Harry  C,   192, 

200,  348,  358,  359 
Smithnight,  Capt.  Louis,  212 
Spencer,  Sen.  Frank  O.,  202,  204 
Smeal,  Mr.  William  G.,  268 
Smith,  Pard  B.,  150 
Smith,  W.  G.,  Esq.,  168 
Smith,  Captain  John,  83 
Spellman,  Hon.  H.  D.,  211 
Snider,  Hon.  C.  W.,  192 
Southern,  Sr.,  59 
Southern.  E.  H.,  59 
Speight,   Gov.    Richard   Dobbs,   2, 

27,  49 
Soane,  Sir  John,  226 
Spellman,  Miss  Laura  C,  211 
Stanley,  John  Wright,  1 
Stone,  Rosetta,  The,  328 
Stanley,  John,  1,  2,  6 
Stanley,  Hon.  Edw.,  M.  C,  4 
Stanley,  John  C,  42,  43 
Stanley,  John  Stuart,  42 
Stanley,  Mrs.  Fannie,  42 
Sterling,  Dr.  Theodore,  111,  112 
Stuart,  Cato  J.,  128' 
Strimple,  Judge  Theodore,  184 
Stewart,  J.  M.,  Esq..  186 
366 


steels,  Mrs.  Margaret,  M.  9.,  250 

Stilson,  Clarence,  111 

Strauther,  Geo.  W..  264 

St.  Marco  Piazzo 

St.  Charles,  262 

Sturge,  Joseph, 

Suthern,  Rev.  B.  W.,  239.  278 

Sykes,  Dr.  J.  W.,  102 

Simmons,  John,  359 

Simmons,  Buckner 

Cimmons,  Granny  Polly.  359 

Stone,  Julge  Carlos  M.,  Esq.,  183 

Squire,  Andrew,  Esq.,  152 

Sweeney,  James,  152 

Tanner,  Rev.  B.  T.,  107,  108 
Taylor,  S.  Coleridge,  225,  234 
Talmadge,  Rev.  T.  DeWitt,   231, 

233 
Tell,  William,  236,  317 
Telley,  Madison,  152 
Templeton,  Mr.,  256 
Testolini  Bros.,  265 
Thome,  Prof.  J.  H.,  106 
Thoi-pe,  Hon.  Freeman,  171 
Thrift,  Mrs.  Mattie  Laurence.  234 
Thompson,  James,  Esq.,  248,  249 
Thomson,  Mrs.,  248,  249 
Thomson  Family,  251 
Thomson,  James,  Jr.,  250 
Thieme,  August,  159 
Theresa,  Saint,  299 
Thwing,  Pres.  Chas.  F.,  844 
Thompson,  James,  148 
Tillman,  John 

Toro  Mountain,  Ireland,  329 
Tilden,  Judge  Daniel  R.,  161 
Titus,  Roman  General,  298 
Townsend,  Hon.  Amos,  M.  C,  272 
Townsend,  Hon.  Charles,  137 
Trent,  River,  20 
Trenton,  N.  C,  39 
Treat,  Wilson,  153 
Trilby,  a  fiction,  319,  322 
Troy  Hill,  90 
Tullock,  David,  256 
Turner,  L.  W.,  152,  167,  368 

— U— 

Union  Depot,  58,  96 
Underwood,  Rev,  J.  P.,  369 


Vatican,  Rome,  305 
Vanderbilt,  W.  K.,  207 
Venice,  Italy,  265 
Vesuvius,  The  Volcano,  290 
Vestitmle,  Bill,  195 
Vickery,  Judge  Willis,  120 
Vienna,  Austria,  308 
Virgil,  The  Poet,  237,  288 
Victoria,  Queen,  326 
Vosburgh,  George,  359 

— W~ 

Wagner,  Carl,  57 
Wallace,  Scotch  Patriot,  326 
Waller,  Owen  Meredith,  276 
Washington,  George,  261 
Washington,  J.  H.,  152,  358 
Warren,  Elder  John  R.,  98 
Washington,  Booker  T.,  24,    274, 

343 
Watts,  Isaac,  92,  286 
Wade,  J.  H.,  Esq.,  198,  223 
Weatherley,  J.  W.,  127,  229 
Warren,  J.  R.,  359 
Weitzel,  Hon.  Mr.,  176,  180 
Wellington,  The  Iron  Duke 
Werner,  of  The  Tower  of  Londom, 

225 
Weaver,  J.  H.,  358 
^^Oiitford,  Col.  John  D.,  350 
Whitworth,  WUliam,  81 
Wheeler  &  Russell,  96,  114 
WTiite,  Judge  H.  C,  170,  185 
White,  Clarence  Cameron,  34.  27i 
Westminster  Abbey,  327 
White,  John  G.,  152 
White,  Linden  C,  166,  167 
White,  Hon.  Geo.  H.,  M.  C,  267 
White,  Milly,  34,  36 
Wightman,  David  L.,  267 
Wightman,  Miss  Lucy,  267 
Witt,  Stillman,  114 
Wilson,  J.  Finley,  277 
Williams,  Harry  A..  234 
Winnkelried,  Arnold  Von,  236, 817 
Wigham.  Miss  Eliza,  241,  242 
Williams,  Dr.  Daniel  Hale.  277 
Willard,  A.  M.,  Esq.,  355 
Williams,  "Prof."  S.,  359 
Woodward.   Sarah  G..  43 


Sd7 


Wood,  David  L.,  151,  165  _Y— 

Woodsworth,  The  Poet  3SS',  Yovk,  "Aunt  Betsey,"  45 

Wright,  George  W.,  121  Young,  Arthur  F.,  Esq,  284 
Wright,  Justice.  S.  C,  151 

Wilberforce  University,   187,    188  —7r— 

__^_  Zola,  Emile,  356 

Zehring,  Augustus,  Esq.,  118 

Xenophon,  Greek  Author/ '^J  '  Zurich,  Switzerland.  318 


368 


